The Mysterious Dr Reid
by mindluver
Summary: Hotch is called in for a parent/teacher conference with Jack's second grade teacher, Dr. Reid. Two suspicious men can't let things go. When the wheels start turning, can they slow down the train enough to see if there's anything more? AU/Non-canon/OOC Reid. Slash-Don't like/don't read! Adult situations/sex/language. Rated M. Post Haley's death.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hello! I'm back with another story. It's slash, so if you don't like the genre, please don't read it. It's Hotch/Reid, but I did my best to give you something new and different. The characters are there, but where loyalties lie is a mystery. I hope you'll read and let me know what you think.**_

 _ **I don't own Criminal Minds or CBS Television. I don't infringe either. I'm a borrower! ML**_

…

Chapter 1.

Aaron sat down in the chair next to the teacher's desk as he watched the man push up his black glasses while searching for something in a file cabinet next to his desk. When he sat up and placed a file folder on the desk, Aaron braced himself. It probably wasn't going to be good news. Likely, all of Aaron's shortcomings as a parent would be brought to light.

"Mr. Hotchner, I love having Jack in my classroom. He's truly a delight, and he seems to enjoy learning, which is a joy to an elementary school teacher. He contributes on every subject, and he's an exemplary role model to the rest of the students in his class regarding how exciting it can be to learn.

"Mrs. Burrows, Jack's teacher last year, spoke to me regarding some events that have occurred in his life before he came into her class. I want to reassure you, the guidance counselor and I have been working together to make certain Jack has support here at school this year.

"His grades _have_ slipped a little since first quarter, but not enough for concern. I believe once the two of you settle into this year's routine with his extra-curricular activities and the new classroom dynamic, he'll be fine. He's not behind in the classroom, Mr. Hotchner.

"It's a matter of him dealing with his classroom bully, Paul Brown. I'm working with Paul's mother regarding the boy's bullying of Jack, and if need be, I'm not opposed to transferring Paul to Mrs. Padget's class in order to separate the boys," the teacher explained.

"Paul Brown? He was Jack's best friend last year," Hotch told the man, remembering after they adjusted to Haley's death and Jack's new school, his son had asked to have the boy over for play dates. Jessica had handled it at the time, and she hadn't reported any problems.

"As I said, I'm keeping an eye on it and working with Mrs. Brown, the guidance counselor. The real reason I asked you to come in is because of some recent activity in art class. Ms. Wingman brought me these, and I'm not sure if they're something we should be concerned about. I haven't shown them to Mr. Winchell because as his father, I believe you should be made aware first," the teacher told him.

Aaron took the folder and looked at the pictures inside, seeing they were as vivid as the crime scene photos. It was Jack witnessing most of his mother's death. It wasn't pretty, and if Aaron had known the boy had seen as much as the drawings depicted, he'd have been more proactive in getting his son help.

"Wow. I had no idea he had such a vivid imagination. I suppose I need to speak with our babysitter regarding what he watches on television when she's watching him. He has been having nightmares again regarding losing his mom, and I _do_ have him scheduled to meet with a child psychologist who specializes in children who've lost their parents.

"I should have gotten him help immediately. I was just trying to get him into a routine as quickly as possible, and I thought…I mean, I believed…hell, I was wrong, obviously," Hotch stated quietly as he continued flipping through the pictures. He could feel the tears welling in his eyes, so he swallowed deeply and cleared his throat.

"Mr. Hotchner, please don't take the blame for the way in which Jack has portrayed the incidents surrounding the death of his mother. These situations don't come with a playbook. Every child reacts differently when they've lost a loved one. They're young, and they're not sure what to do with the grief, so they create scenarios in their own heads in an attempt to try to reconcile the bad dreams with reality. They also want to protect the surviving parent, so they try to mask their suffering and put on a brave face if they feel the parent is as upset by the loss.

"Has Jack been overcompensating at home? Doing chores without being asked, or maybe doing things your late wife used to do?" the teacher asked. Hotch thought back to the night before when he returned home from the office.

" _Hey Jess. Where's Jack? He usually jumps me at the door," he'd asked with a wide grin._

 _She'd smiled at him. "He's setting the table. He helped me make chicken casserole. He mated all the socks, and he took the sheets off his bed, insisting it was Thursday and that was the day the beds were changed," Jess told him with a tender smile. Aaron smiled back at her and went in search of Jack to tell him how proud he was of him for helping out at home._

"How'd you know?" Aaron asked the teacher.

The man smiled tenderly and his cheeks flushed a bit. "Aside from my degree in elementary education, I have my doctorate in Psychology, along with a few other things," the teacher explained.

"Oh. I'm sorry for not addressing you as Dr. Reid. I didn't know about your advanced degrees. Pardon me for saying so, but you don't look old enough to have a doctorate in anything," Hotch observed.

Mr. Reid laughed. "Please, don't worry about it. I get that a lot. I don't use my title here at school because it confuses the kids. They hear the term ' _doctor_ ', and they immediately think ' _shot_ '. I'm just Mr. Reid. Anyway, I think Jack will be fine. The therapy will help him learn that it's okay to grieve the loss of his mother, along with giving him an outlet for the feelings he's afraid to share with you right now. It _will_ get better, Mr. Hotchner."

Mr. Reid reached into his desk drawer and pulled out an empty file folder. He opened it and wrote something on the left side before he separated Jack's pictures and put the pile depicting the crime scene and his mother's murder into the file folder. He closed it and handed it to Aaron. "These will be helpful to the psychologist. Art therapy is a very effective tool with children Jack's age. It'll give the doctor insight into Jack's current thought processes. Also, if he's having nightmares, see if you can get him to tell you about them and perhaps record them in a notebook for his doctor. That, too, would be helpful to having a better understanding of Jack's state of mind.

"You might benefit from starting a journal regarding your observations of Jack and his interactions at home and with extended family. You know, has he suddenly become shy around people he otherwise wouldn't? If you record these observations, it'll help you provide an all-around picture for the doctor, and it'll help you focus on these behaviors and notice what might trigger them," Mr. Reid explained further.

Aaron laughed. "Maybe we should just make appointments with you."

Mr. Reid laughed. "I've never been in private practice, but I've given you my number if you have any questions regarding what you hear from Jack's doctor. Please feel free to give me a call. Like I said, I really enjoy having Jack in my class and I want to make his time in school enjoyable and productive."

Aaron opened the folder and saw the phone number along with his name, "Spencer Reid." He closed it and stood. "Thank you, Dr. Reid. I appreciate the support. Just so you know, Jack loves being in your class. He enjoys listening to your lessons. He says you get excited and tell them lots of stories."

Dr. Reid laughed. "I'm afraid I get caught up in the lesson and get off topic, spouting out facts that are totally irrelevant to the subject at hand. I can see in their eyes the minute I lose them. I'm trying to rein it in. This is my first year in an elementary classroom, so it's a learning process for all of us."

"What did you teach previously?" Aaron asked. He noticed the pink tint of the younger man's cheeks and thought it was very becoming. That thought didn't disturb him as much as he thought it should.

"Oh, I've taught undergrad and graduate level classes, and I spent one year teaching in a public high school in Las Vegas before I moved to Virginia over the summer. It's been a nice change of pace," Dr. Reid said as there was a knock on the door.

The man glanced at his watch and smiled. "Time got away from me. Thank you for coming in, Mr. Hotchner. It's been a pleasure." The two men shook hands as Dr. Reid escorted Aaron Hotchner to the door. After a quick good-bye to the teacher, and a hello to Amy Barnes, the mother of another of Jack's classmates, Aaron made his way out to the SUV.

He sat on the parking lot for a moment, thinking about the meeting. He'd been dreading the introductory meeting with Jack's second grade teacher because he was sure the man would blame him for Jack's behavior. It was no secret to Aaron that Jack was prone to emotional outbursts, and he'd expected the teacher to cite chapter and verse all the ways Aaron was screwing up his child.

Much to his surprise, it didn't go that way at all. Dr. Spencer Reid seemed like a very compassionate, empathetic teacher who was truly interested in his students. Unlike some of the older teachers who'd been at it far too long, the man didn't seem tainted. He seemed enthusiastic while speaking of teaching his students. Aaron was sure if anyone could help him get Jack back on track, it was Dr. Reid. It certainly didn't hurt the man was damn handsome and had the cutest smile Aaron had ever seen. That was certainly a plus.

When he got back to the office, Aaron had a large smile on his face. He'd analyze his behavior when he was alone later that night. In the meantime, he had to get through the workday.

There was a knock on his doorframe so he looked up into the smiling face of Penelope Garcia, the Unit's technical analyst. "Garcia, what can I do for you?"

"What was that?" she asked with a smile as she moved her finger in a circle, pointing at him.

"What's was what?" he asked, not looking her in the eye.

"That dreamy, smiley-face thing you're doing?" she asked as she walked further into the office and placed a file on his desk.

He immediately schooled his facial expression to his usual semi-scowl. "Nothing. What's this?" he asked, pointing to the folder on his desk.

"You asked me to check out Dr. Marissa Hayes. That's everything I could find. Great doctor. Degrees from Cornell and NYU. Volunteers as a child advocate for the Fairfax County Court System and DCFS. She worked as a psychologist for the Division of Family Services in DC for five years before she went into private practice.

"Married. She adopted two girls with special needs. She's damn near a saint, Sir," Garcia explained.

Aaron held the laugh. One thing about Penelope Garcia was she never did a half-assed job of anything. She was the strength behind his team. She laid the ground work for the team to perform its function…catching the bad guys. Without Garcia, Aaron was sure they wouldn't have achieved the level of success for which they were known.

"Thank you, Garcia. I truly appreciate it," Hotch told her as he opened the file.

As she was about to leave, he had a thought. "Penelope, can I get some information on a Dr. Spencer Reid? He's Jack's teacher. He mentioned he's worked at a high school in Las Vegas, and he's taught college and post-graduate courses," Hotch asked.

He almost hated himself, but he'd become extremely protective of Jack since Haley's murder, and if Spencer Reid was going to be interacting with his child on a daily basis, Hotch's justification was he was only looking out for his son. He'd wrestle his guilt later.

"Sure thing. Anything else?" the bubbly blonde asked.

"No. Thanks, Garcia. That'll be fine," he told her dismissively. Without waiting for her to leave, he pulled on his reading glasses and opened the file of Dr. Marissa Hayes.

Later that evening as he was headed home, Garcia hopped onto the elevator with her usual smile. "Cutting out a little early," she teased him as she checked her phone.

"Yeah, if you can call seven o'clock early, then I'm leaving early. Big plans for the weekend?" he asked as the elevator seemed to stop on every floor.

"Girls night. JJ, Alex, Ashley, and I are going to see ' _The Graduate'_ at The National Theatre in DC. Morgan Fairchild plays Mrs. Robinson. Supposedly, there's a full frontal scene. I'm curious to see what the woman looks like naked," Garcia told him.

He glanced at her and grinned. "Sounds, uh… _interesting?_ You'll have to let me know if I should get a ticket and grab Rossi." They wished each other a good weekend and went their separate ways.

Aaron's weekend would be filled with Jack's soccer games, a birthday party for a classmate, and brunch at Rossi's on Sunday afternoon. The whole weekend, he was haunted by caramel-colored eyes and a bright smile. He didn't contemplate the ' _why'_ of it. He just enjoyed the thoughts.

…

 _ **Interested? Please let me know! ML**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Thank you for reading and for your reviews. I appreciate them. This chapter is where we start earning our M-rating. Again, it's slash. Don't complain!**_

 _ **I don't own Criminal Minds. I borrow.**_

…

Chapter 2.

Spencer sat on the sofa in his living room that evening eating Pad Thai from a little place down the street. He'd run errands all day Saturday because Friday night, he'd gotten caught up in a _Dr. Who_ marathon and hadn't done anything productive.

Just as he turned on his DVR to see what had been taped the previous week, one of his phones rang. His personal cell was silent on the table next to him, so he knew it wasn't good news.

He hurried to his bedroom and grabbed the charging phone from the top of his dresser. "Reid," he answered.

"Why is a second grade teacher being investigated by the FBI? If Lynch hadn't put an alarm on your file…" she trailed off.

"Emily, I have no idea why anyone at the FBI is investigating me. What did they get? Am I compromised?" he asked as he sat down on the bed. He'd just taken the job at the private school so as to cement his identity in order to be able to live in peace for a few years but still provide his cryptologic services to the Agency. It was the most pleasant assignment he'd had in many years.

"No. The only things available in your file are pieces of your education and a few of your lesser jobs. Your information is safely buried under many levels of security, Doc. With whom have you come into contact that would run a background check on you?" Prentiss asked.

Spencer thought about his day, and he was sure his dry cleaner wouldn't give a crap about the fact he'd spent the night in jail when he was at CalTech because he'd been caught breaking and entering the chemistry lab. He'd seen something on YouTube he wanted to try, and his dorm room was too small.

When the sprinklers went off, he got arrested for B&E and attempted arson. His faculty advisor, Jason Gideon, had bailed him out the next morning and given him a hell of a talking to. After that night, Spencer didn't do anything without running it past Jason, at least until Gideon went off the grid.

"I honestly don't know. I had parent/teacher conferences yesterday afternoon. I can give you the names of the parents, but I doubt…no, wait. One of my students had his mother murdered last year. The child has been exhibiting signs of PTSD, and when I spoke with his father, I noticed he had that 'law enforcement' look. I'm not close enough to any of the staff to know more than the fact Jack's mother was murdered. Can you find out his occupation?" he asked his friend and colleague, Intelligence Officer Emily Prentiss.

"Sure. Give me his name," she requested.

"Aaron Hotchner. His son's name is Jack. Mother was murdered last year. Since I was in Argentina on loan to Interpol at the time, I didn't read about it but there's probably something in the media," he offered.

"Okay, boss. I'll call you when we know something more," she responded before she signed off.

He laughed to himself as he hung up the phone. Emily was a great IO. She was never "off the clock" as some of the others, including himself, preferred to be. When she wasn't on assignment, she was busy combing through communication intercepts regarding anything in the wind.

Spencer truly wished she'd find a nice _person_ to settle down with because he knew she wanted children. They'd talked about their sexualities while on assignment in London one fall, and she hadn't blinked an eye when he told her he was gay. She'd smiled at him and had given him a hug. He was only twenty-three at the time, but he was working his way up the ladder at the Agency.

When he was promoted over Emily, he took her to dinner to break the news to her and hoped he didn't lose his only friend. In his line of work, he couldn't afford to get close to anyone. He had to be ready to move at any time if his cover was ever blown. It had happened a few times…once when he was working at Stanford while the Agency was investigating a homegrown terrorist cell that had infiltrated the student population and was in direct contact with a known-cell in Malaysia.

Reid was set to accompany a group of students who were planning to place a bomb in the student center that would detonate the next day during a Peace Rally in protest of the war in Afghanistan based on information he'd been able to cypher from scrambled communications between the leader of the cell and an Afghani national living in San Francisco. When one of the group members showed up and was strapped to blow himself up instead, Reid had to act.

Reid called in his team to arrest the members of the cell. After it was cleaned up and the bombs were secured, Reid was shipped off to Atlanta to cool off. He had to attend his last year of high school again, which pissed him off more than anything.

He went into the living room, having pulled himself from his reverie, and picked up his Pad Thai. He took it to the kitchen to warm it in the microwave, thinking about haunting brown eyes, darker than Spencer's own, but quite captivating, nonetheless.

…

Sunday morning found Spencer Reid sitting on his back veranda enjoying his coffee and the Sunday paper when his Agency-issued phone rang. He saw it was Emily.

"Prentiss, tell me you didn't stay all night," he answered.

She laughed. "No, I didn't, but I've been up since five when Lynch called me. He found Aaron Hotchner. He's sent the file to your laptop. The encryption code is 'HotchNReid4evr'."

"Clever, Emily. Did you choose it or did Kevin? He's still pissed because I refused his advances, isn't he?" Spencer asked.

"Hey, there are worse things to be than stalked by a hot guy like Kevin. He has it bad for you, Spence. I don't understand why you don't…" she began again.

"I don't fish in the company pond," he reminded.

Emily laughed. "I know, I know. Speaking of fishing, you've caught yourself a big one. He's the Unit Chief of the BAU…that's Behavioral Analysis Unit. He's a profiler. He's made for you, Spencer and since the two of you don't work for the same organization, it's not against the rules."

He knew the argument. She'd tried it over the years…a Texas Ranger while he was on loan to ATF, a detective in Seattle while he was working with the Army, an ICE agent in New Mexico while working with DEA. What she'd never know was Spencer _did_ have them…or let them have _him_ , but he never made any promises to anyone. Once and out…his job required it. He couldn't be tied to anyone because he could be sent on assignment at any moment and he never wanted to leave anyone behind, nor did he want to put them in danger. Life as a ghost wasn't easy.

"Emily, don't. I appreciate your looking out for me, but sweetheart, the only relationship I'm capable of keeping is my friendship with you. Hell, I had to give you Cecil because I kept forgetting to feed him," he reminded. The goldfish she'd given him when he relocated to Virginia was thoughtful, but he wasn't used to responsibilities, and even a fish was an obligation.

"Spencer, how much longer are you going to pull double duty? You're too damn sweet to live your life singularly. Hell, even I don't do that," she told him.

That piqued his interests. "Last I knew, you were attempting to seduce your neighbor with no luck because she thought her boyfriend was her destiny," he reminded her.

"Yeah, well, she wasn't the brightest bulb in the lamp, as I found out one night when the electricity in our building was off after a storm. I ran into _him_ after he broke up with _her_ and we had coffee. He's a pretty great guy, and we've started seeing each other. He's a municipal court judge. He's got that sexy, brooding thing going for him. We're going sailing on the Chesapeake this afternoon.

"Anyway, read the file and let me know how you want to handle things, Doc. Hotchner might just be a guy looking out for his son, you know. Hell, on public paper, even _you_ look like an upstanding citizen," Prentiss reminded with requisite sarcasm.

Reid laughed. "I'm glad you can be so glib, Emily. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Use a condom," he joked before he hung up, knowing she'd get wound tightly after his comment.

He went to the kitchen to refill his cup before he went to his office and sat down at his desk. Once he'd logged into his secure e-mail he found the file from Emily. He clicked it open and found a picture of the man in question. It appeared to be from his employee ID. He was dressed in a suit and tie, just as Spencer remembered. There was a flat smile on his face, and his eyes lacked the brightness Spencer remembered from their conference.

He clicked on the background flag Lynch had attached and read about Aaron M. Hotchner, Senior Supervisory Special Agent and Unit Chief with the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. An hour later, he sent Emily a text.

 _Em - Have Lynch destroy the search and wipe it from the servers. Make sure it's not traced. Thanks sweetheart. Reid._

He logged out of his computer and went to make himself an omelet. The rest of the day was spent grading homework and studying the files couriered to his house Saturday morning. He wrote up his analysis, translations, and cypher keys he deemed necessary and attached them to each file before he packaged them up and called the runner to pick up the packet from his house at midnight so as not to be seen by the neighbors.

After dinner, he went outside to work in his rose garden for an hour, dead-heading the bushes and weeding. As the sun set in Reston, Virginia, Spencer ran himself a tepid bath with vanilla and lavender salts, as he settled back to listen to Bach, trying to slow his mind enough so he could get a full night's sleep.

As he listened to the beautiful cello concerto, his conscious mind wandered to the handsome man he'd met on Friday. He couldn't help but wonder what Aaron Hotchner, FBI, did to relax. Did he have an alcoholic beverage while he kicked back with a favorite television show or a movie? Did he perform some physical activity until exhaustion set in? Did he read? Did he read to Jack as he put him to bed, and then after, what did he do for himself?

As Spencer closed his eyes and visualized some of the activities in which Aaron Hotchner might engage in order to get a good night's sleep, one thing settled in his mind…something he loved to do to relax. He loved to fuck.

Spencer's hand found his hardening cock, and he envisioned Aaron Hotchner on his knees with his mouth open and eager. He imagined himself on his hands and knees with Aaron's pink tongue lapping at his rim while the man prepared him. He basked in the dream of feeling Aaron's fingers breach his opening as his own did in the tub.

He grasped his hard cock and stroked it, trying to convince himself it was Aaron's hand bringing him pleasure and Aaron's fingers deep in his ass stroking his prostate. He opened his eyes just before he shot, seeing his hard cock squirt into the cool bath water.

Once he was able to breathe normally again, he stood and opened the drain to let out the water. He pulled the shower curtain inside the porcelain tub and turned on the shower. After a quick wash, he was out of it and wrapped in his robe.

It was then time for the regular pep talk. "You're fine on your own. You know you're not relationship material. With your job, you can't begin to have a relationship. How fair would it be to bring Aaron and Jack Hotchner into the instability in which you live? For God's sake, the child has been through enough. Let it go," he told himself in the mirror. He knew it was the truth. Why it hurt so much, he wasn't sure.

…

 _ **E/N: So, there's Dr. Reid. Thoughts? Love to hear from you. ML**_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thank you for reading! Thank you very much for reviewing as well! I'm so happy you're enjoying the story. Let's get on with it. I'm not exactly sure how long it will be since I'm still writing it, but I've got a few in the basket ; ) Let's see where it goes._

 _I don't own Criminal Minds; I only borrow._

…

Chapter 3.

Aaron's cell buzzed on his nightstand. He looked at the clock to see it was just before six in the morning. It was a text from JJ.

 _Sorry. We have a case. It's in Philly. I've made arrangements for wheels up at ten. JJ_

Aaron let go a loud, exasperated breath and got up from the bed. After a shower and a quick call to Jess to ask if she could meet the bus that afternoon and watch Jack for a few days, he checked his go bag and went down the hall to make breakfast.

Once he'd cut up the fruit, he went across the apartment to Jack's room to wake the boy. "Buddy, time to get up," he whispered to the adorable little boy he loved with all his heart.

Jack's eyes popped open, which brought a smile to Aaron's face. "Hey there. What can I get you for breakfast?" he asked as he pulled Jack from the bed and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"Eggo waffles, please," Jack called as he ran to the bathroom. Aaron made his bed and laid out the school uniform, underwear, socks, and sneakers. He made sure Jack's backpack was ready before he carried it to the foyer by the door where Aaron's briefcase was resting.

He went to the kitchen and pulled out the frozen waffles, popping two into the toaster oven as he made coffee and poured orange juice for Jack. He checked the cabinets and freezer to see there was enough food so Jess wouldn't be troubled with a lot of cooking while he was gone. She was finishing her degree on-line, and he was grateful she was able to help him out with Jack. Had she not stepped up, his only course of action would have been to step down from the BAU and take a desk job. He wouldn't have been happy, but he'd have done it because his son was his first priority.

When he walked into his office after dropping Jack at school (not happy he didn't see Jack's teacher, Mr…no, _Dr_. Reid), he was met with a harried looking Garcia. "What's wrong?" he asked as he made his way to his office, dropping his bag and taking off his jacket.

"I've never encountered anything like what I ran into this weekend. I researched Dr. Reid like you asked, but there's scant information on him. His college career and his teaching assignments are documented, but there are huge gaps in his history, Sir.

"Also, there's not a lot about him before he started college. There's nothing about him when he was growing up. There's nothing about his parents. His credit score is great, but he has no credit cards or bank accounts. He moved here in June of this year after accepting the job at Proctor Academy. He underwent a background check for the job, but the findings aren't on the school's servers. He's like a wisp of smoke. It's there, but when I try to get my hands on it, it's gone," Garcia told him quickly.

"Nothing criminal?" he asked quickly as he prepared to go down to the bullpen.

She sighed. "Nothing I could find, Hotch. Do you want me to keep digging?"

"No. We've got more important things to do. Table it. I'll think about it and decide what to do after the case is over. Let's get to the bullpen," he ordered, seeing Rossi, Morgan, JJ, and Blake already heading to the room. His musings about Dr. Spencer Reid would have to take a back seat. He had a criminal to catch.

…

On Friday morning, Aaron was in the carpool line behind several other parents. He was back from his case, and he was relieved. They'd caught the bad guy, and he'd been home early enough on Thursday night to quiz Jack for his spelling test. It gave Aaron a sense of joy to be there for his son. It seemed to happen so rarely.

"You ready?" he asked his son as he glanced into the rearview mirror. He saw Jack smile and nod.

"Okay, remember, I'm picking you up from school. We're going to go to the doctor we've talked about and see if she can help us figure out how to make the nightmares stop," Aaron reminded.

"I don't wanna go to the doctor. They always give shots," Jack complained. It reminded him of the conversation with Mr. Reid. He'd said the reason he didn't use his doctoral designation was because kids Jack's age immediately thought about getting shots, and he couldn't hold the laugh.

"She's not that kind of doctor, Buddy. She just wants to talk to us. It'll be fine. Think about what you wanna do this weekend, okay? You have a game tomorrow afternoon, but we have all day Sunday with nothing to do," Hotch offered, attempting to take the boy's mind off of the afternoon's appointment.

"Can we go see Aunt JJ and Henry? Can we swim in their pool?" Jack asked.

Just as Aaron was about to answer, he saw the teacher working carpool was none other than Dr. Reid. Hotch studied him. He noticed the man was without the glasses and had cut his hair. It was a pretty damn attractive cut, if Aaron could be so bold as to judge.

"How's Mr. Reid?" he asked Jack as he watched the teacher walk forward to open back doors, helping kids out of the car.

"He's fine. We getta watch a movie today on dinosaurs. It's gonna be cool," Jack told him as they creeped forward in the line.

"Is this because of the field trip next week?" Aaron asked, remembering a permission slip in Jack's folder he'd signed weeks ago.

" _YEAH!_ Can you come? Can you come with us to the museum, _pleeeaase_?" Jack whined.

"I'll do my best, Buddy," Aaron promised as the back door of his Tahoe opened. "Hi, Mr. Hotchner. Jack, how are you?" Mr. Reid asked as he unbuckled Jack from his safety seat.

"Ready for the spellin' test," Jack yelled back as he ran up the sidewalk to the school where one of his friends was waiting.

Aaron saw Mr. Reid look his way as he eased the seatbelt back into its place. "Have a good day, _Agent_ Hotchner," the man stated as he closed the door.

He remembered what Garcia had said regarding the man's background, and he knew he'd never mentioned his job. As far as he knew, nobody really knew what he did for a living at the school. His information in Jack's file stated he worked for a law firm.

After Haley was killed he knew his son needed to get away from people who knew the gory details of the story, so he didn't hesitate to pull him out of public school and enroll him in the private school in Occoquan over the Christmas break.

At the time, he'd had given a vaguely worded explanation to the counselor, principal, and Jack's first grade teacher about the events surrounding Haley's death, but he never informed anyone of his ties to the murder. As far as he'd ever told the school, he was a tax lawyer in Fairfax County, and his wife had been shot during a random break-in. He wasn't sure who'd leaked the additional information to Dr. Reid.

…

When Hotch arrived in the bullpen, he hurriedly went up the catwalk and opened his office door, surprised to see a pacing Garcia. She was wringing her hands, and he could see she was very distraught. "Garcia, I was about to come see you. What's wrong?" he asked.

"I did something very, _very_ bad," she told him as she handed him a file.

He placed it on his desk and looked at her. "Penelope, if I open that file, am I going to break the law?"

"M-M-Maybe," she stuttered.

Hotch took a deep breath. "If I open that file, will I need to go to Chief Cruz before someone from Internal Affairs shows up?"

"Probably."

"If I don't open that file, can you shred it and keep yourself out of trouble?" he asked.

She sighed and sat down in his guest chair. "I think I can, Bossman. I've hidden my tracks from the Bureau because I'm the best they have, but…the CIA? I'm not sure. I tried not to leave a footprint, but if their IT person is as good as I think? I'll get caught. Senior Investigator Reid's information was buried deep, and there's no doubt I set off some alarms. I'm not sure how long before…"

Aaron's phone rang, and when he saw it was the guard desk in the lobby, he looked at Garcia. "You're on leave. Go log out of your computers and get the hell out of here. I'll stall them as long as I can, and I take full responsibility for everything. _GO!_ " he ordered before he answered the phone.

After she hurried out of his office, he knocked on the window, catching Blake's attention as he answered the phone. "SSA Hotchner."

" _Sir, there are two CIA agents down here with a search warrant. Should I let them up?" the guard asked._

"What's the warrant for?" he asked.

" _It's for Penelope Garcia's office and equipment," the guard announced._

When Blake walked into his office, he scribbled a note for her. She read it and nodded, hurrying out of the office and grabbing Morgan on her way to Garcia's cave. If the equipment was under repair, there was no way they could pin anything on Garcia…he _hoped_. He didn't know exactly what she'd uncovered, but he'd protect her at any cost.

…

Aaron sat in the waiting room of Dr. Hayes' office. He'd given her the file Dr. Reid had given him at the parent/teacher conference…without the teacher's number…and he was waiting for Jack to finish his first session. He wasn't sure how it was going, but he hoped it would be the first steps to healing for his son. The day had been so damn chaotic he was looking forward to going home and putting it all behind him.

He leaned his head back and rested it on the couch upon where he was slumped because it had been a long damn day. Dealing with the stupid asses from the CIA was just the capstone.

When he felt a gun at his right temple, he didn't move. He had his Glock on his ankle, having left his service weapon in the glove box of his Tahoe.

"I'm unarmed. If you're going to kill me, do it now," he spouted as he stayed still.

"I've been ordered _not_ to kill you, Agent Hotchner. Your son's in that office?" he heard a female ask.

He opened his eyes but didn't move his head. "He's in with his doctor. If you're going to kill me, please take me outside. My son already saw his mother killed. Please don't do it to him again," he told the woman.

He felt the weapon removed from his head and he heard the safety click. He turned his head and saw a pretty brunette standing next to him. "This has something to do with Dr. Reid, right?" he asked.

"How do you know that?" the woman asked, not looking happy about his comment at all.

He sat up and took a deep breath. "I had one of my people look into his background because he's my son's teacher. After my ex-wife was murdered, I became paranoid. I just want to know about the people who are around my son every day. I meant nothing against Dr. Reid. I just wanted to be sure he wasn't going to turn out to be some pervert who would take advantage of my boy. He's textbook vulnerable to outside influences at this point. I just wanted to make sure Jack was safe."

"Why was your ex murdered?" the woman asked him.

"Before I start spilling my guts, I think I should at least know your name," Aaron insisted.

"Intelligence Officer Emily Prentiss," the woman introduced as she produced her creds while continuing to observe Hotch's behavior.

"So Reid's CIA? What the fuck is he doing as a second grade teacher at my son's school?" Hotch demanded, not happy at all for the confirmation.

"Who's the Black Queen?" the woman asked as she seemed to study him.

Hotch studied the woman as well. "I have no idea. Why?"

"Because someone using the hacker handle got into our system and downloaded Dr. Reid's information. We traced it to a tech analyst in your unit. Uh…Penelope Garcia," Officer Prentiss stated as she looked at something on her phone.

"Then you know the answer to your own question, don't you? Penelope was only following my orders. I wanted to run a background check on the teacher, and she did as I instructed. I have a high risk job, and I can't ever be too careful. I didn't mean to fuck things up for Dr. Reid, but I needed to know if he was a threat. I don't feel great about the fact a CIA operative is teaching my son's class. Is there a reason?"

"I can't tell you anything, Agent. I have to ask you to have your tech analyst delete everything she found on our system. Dr. Reid means no harm to your son. He loves teaching Jack's class, and he truly likes your son. He'd never do anything to hurt him," she stated as the two of them heard movement from inside the room.

When Dr. Hayes appeared with a smile, Aaron returned it, hearing the side door softly close. "We're ready for you to join us, Mr. Hotchner," the doctor invited.

He walked inside and sat down next to Jack, putting out of his head what had just happened. Obviously, he needed more information, but he needed to go to the source. He wouldn't tolerate his son being in danger. That was unacceptable.

…

 _E/N: So, a little more info… Thanks again for reading. I appreciate it. Xoxo, ML_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Thank you for your comments and for reading. This one is short, so I'm giving you a bonus post. Please let me know what you think._

 _I don't own anything regarding Criminal Minds. I just borrow and don't infringe._

…

Chapter 4.

"He was just checking you out because you're his son's teacher. He truly meant no harm, boss," Emily told SIO Spencer Reid as she handed him a folder with her report regarding the hacking incident from the previous afternoon.

Reid had been called into the office in Langley before school the next morning, and he wasn't happy about it. It was over a breach of security from a member of the FBI's IT department. When Prentiss explained things to him, he held the laugh. He needed to get to school that morning, and he needed his team to stand down. He was sure Agent Hotchner meant no harm.

"Look, Emily, I appreciate everything you do, but in light of the circumstances, I think maybe it was a little harsh to follow Agent Hotchner to his son's therapist's office and hold a gun to his head. He's trying very hard to be strong for the boy after everything that's happened to the two of them. He had the resources to check me out, and really? How many times have we done it over the years with someone we've met? I don't want a report on this. Let it go," he ordered as he grabbed his messenger bag and went to his car, hoping traffic would go his way and he wouldn't be late for school.

When he arrived on the parking lot, avoiding the carpool line, he parked his car and looked at those in line, seeing Aaron Hotchner's SUV. He wanted to apologize to the man, but he felt it might be awkward, so he decided against any action. He went into the school and settled into his classroom, readying himself for the day.

During the math lesson, Spencer heard his work cell chiming in his desk. Of course he ignored it at the time, but as the children were readying themselves to go out to recess, he grabbed the phone and slipped it into his coat pocket. He led his kids out to the playground just as the third-graders were lining up to go inside. Miss Colby, the third grade teacher was giving him the eye, but he ignored her because she was truly annoying in her lust. He had no desire to feed her fantasies, so he averted his eyes to the playground.

As he watched the girls lining up for the swings and jump rope, he observed the boys kicking a soccer ball. He smiled because it was a game he'd never been able to pick up on his own, but he still went to the activities in which his students engaged in support.

He saw Jack Hotchner sitting in the grass out of the way of the soccer game, so he went to join him, lowering himself to the ground. "Hey, Jack. How come you're not playing?"

He saw the young boy take a deep breath and look off in the distance. "I didn't feel like it, Mr. Reid. My dad coaches my team with my Uncle Dave, and we have a game on Saturday, so I don't wanna get hurt. Those guys don't like me much from last year 'cause I was the new kid, and last time I played, I got a busted lip."

"Ah," Reid acknowledged. He could relate to not getting along with kids in his grade, especially since most of his classmates were always five or six years older than him.

"So, where do you play soccer? I like to come to games of students in our class who play sports. I'd really like to come support your team, if that's okay?" Reid asked. The boy told him the park in Woodbridge, and after recess, Reid made a note of it on his phone. It was then he remembered the text message he'd received earlier. He opened it to find it was from Prentiss. It was a case file with FBI stamped all over it, but he opened it nonetheless.

He quickly scanned the file in the minute, thirty seconds before the bell rang. He was shocked to learn Haley Hotchner, Jack's mother, had been killed by a serial killer who had actually attacked Agent Hotchner prior to his wife's death. He quickly forwarded the file to his secure, private e-mail address to analyze that night, but it gave him more insight into the family. It gave him more information regarding the needs of the family. It gave him more information regarding how to help Jack…or so he would tell himself as he thought about Jack's father, to whom he was undeniably attracted.

…

At 8:00 o'clock on Saturday morning, Spencer Reid showed up at the Woodridge Soccer Park and cursed himself for not asking Jack what was the name of his team and what time was his game. He actually sat through three games of children he didn't know before he saw Agent Hotchner and Jack pull up in a black SUV. A Mercedes pulled up to park behind the SUV, and through force of habit, Reid memorized the license plate.

He watched the game and clapped when Jack's team scored, relieved at not knowing any of the kids on the other team. He was lucky the park wasn't near Proctor Academy in Quantico. He'd hate to cheer against some of his own students.

He felt his personal phone buzz in his pocket, pulling it out to see an alarm for a girls' soccer team with a few of the girls in his class. He stayed until the end of Jack's game, but he didn't hang around to congratulate him on a game well-played. Jack had scored two goals, and while Reid knew the teams didn't keep score, he felt it was in Jack's best interests to acknowledge the fact the boy had contributed.

He hurried to his old car and found a pad of paper, quickly scribbling out a note as legibly as he could. He saw the team at the bleachers eating snacks in celebration, so he hurried over to the black Tahoe and slipped the note under the wiper blade on the driver's side. He hoped the note wasn't misconstrued as something weird as he second guessed himself.

 _Hey Jack! Congrats on a great game. Sorry I couldn't stick around but I've got to get to Sperry Park for Sarah, Carly, and Megan's game. Have a great rest of the weekend. Mr. Reid._

He replayed it in his head as he drove to Sperry Park in Manassas where three of his female students were playing. There were seven fields at the soccer park, and after wandering around, he found the kids from his class and made sure the girls knew he'd come to their game. The rest of his afternoon was spent in the same fashion, going from one soccer park to the next.

Early Sunday was spent much in the same fashion, but Sunday evening after ordering from his favorite Indian restaurant, Spencer sat down with his personal laptop and reviewed the folder Kevin Lynch and Emily had put together.

The documentation of the heinous acts portrayed on the Hotchner family actually made his stomach turn. The unsub had toyed with and tortured the family in the most disturbing ways. Reid had been involved in terror cases where the suspects hadn't been as cruel. It cemented the fact he was dealing with a very special family who'd been able to survive the hell they'd lived.

He sent a message to Kevin Lynch to check a plate for him, and he turned off his work phone for the night. He wasn't sure how to proceed, based on the information he had received, but he prayed the man who was helping Aaron Hotchner coach the Eagle's soccer team wasn't someone significant, personally, in his life.

He knew it was stupid to even fantasize maybe Agent Hotchner was bi-sexual, but in Spencer's dreams, it was true. He put it out of his mind because he had a bigger mission…helping Jack Hotchner get through second grade. It was a new priority.

…

 _E/N: I hope you're willing to leave me a little love. Thank you for reading. Xoxo. ML_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Thank you for reading and leaving comments. I truly appreciate it. Sorry I took a little extra time to post, but I had to finish up the story. I don't own Criminal Minds. I only borrowed._

…

Chapter 5.

When Hotch arrived at work on Monday morning, he didn't go to his office…he went to Garcia's. He opened the door without knocking, and when he saw she was playing _Candy Crush_ , a game Jack loved to play on Aaron's phone when he was bored, he laughed. Her head snapped up, and she glanced over her shoulder to see him standing there. He glanced at the clock in the corner of her computer and smiled as she turned around to face him.

"Oh, fearless leader, what can I do ya for at six in the a. m. on a Monday?" she asked with a laugh.

"I thought I put you on admin leave. I need that file I had you shred. I won't go into detail, but I had a few weird things happen to me over the weekend," Hotch told her, thinking of the note Dr. Reid had left on the windshield of his SUV. It was kind of the man to attend the game, and it made Aaron very happy Mr. Reid had followed through on a conversation he'd had with Jack at school. The man was definitely turning out to be someone very special.

He saw the sly smile on her face as she pulled out the file from a drawer and handed it to him. She then produced another file and began speaking rapidly as she was known to do when she was nervous. "Okay, I'm sorry, but if Jr. G-Man is in trouble, I wanna know about it, so I dug deeper. I realize I'm in trouble, but you're dealing with high-level, CIA stuff, sir," Garcia informed him.

"Got it. Go home, Garcia. I'll write up a report, taking all blame, if anyone starts asking around. I'll only get a slap on the wrists under the circumstances. You'll be reinstated in a week, okay? Take a trip," he suggested.

She laughed as she logged off her personal laptop. Her tech lair had been left in shambles. The hard drives had been tampered with, and she knew it was her team. They were looking out for her, and Hotch knew she was grateful. She packed up her things and hurried out of the office at his urging.

Hotch took the file to his office and closed the door. He took a huge breath, feeling a 'point-of-no-return' moment before he opened the brown folder with the FBI logo emblazoned on the front. He began reading it and he was only mildly stunned. Senior Intelligence Officer Spencer W. Reid was twenty-seven years old. He'd been recruited by the CIA at the age of twenty. His IQ was 187, and he had an eidetic memory. He spoke several languages he was fluent speaking and reading, and he had a reading speed of twenty-thousand words per minute. The file wasn't specific if it was in other languages besides English.

His mother was a diagnosed, paranoid schizophrenic who was committed to a sanitarium outside Las Vegas. It was then he remembered Dr. Reid saying he'd taught at a high school in Las Vegas, so he assumed it was to be near his mother.

He continued to study the file, and after what he'd gone through on Friday with having been held at gunpoint, Hotch decided it was time to confront the man and find out his agenda. What was Aaron missing? Why was Dr. Reid teaching second grade at his son's school? Why was the CIA's number one code breaker teaching at Proctor Academy?

…

The team wasn't traveling on Monday afternoon, so Hotch left early after having assigned cases on which they would consult. He was going to pick up Jack from school, and he was going to hunt down Dr. Reid to have a discussion. He was certain it wasn't just a coincidence a CIA agent was teaching at Jack's private school, and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

When he pulled up, he saw the kids were playing outside. It was a nice afternoon in late September, and there was about thirty minutes before the end-of-day bell was set to ring. He parked his SUV and walked toward the playground to see Jack's class, and Jack's teacher, engaging in a game of sorts.

He strolled across the playground and through the large field that butted against it, dodging kids playing soccer and dodge ball. When he arrived at a copse of evergreens, he saw the group sitting on the ground while passing what appeared to be a Mr. Potato Head in a circle. When the toy buzzed, the holder of said toy turned to look at Mr. Reid. "Slick. Adjective. First definition meaning smooth or glossy," Mr. Reid stated.

"Slick. S-L-I-C-K. Slick," a cute little blonde girl announced.

"Very good, Ariana. So, let's go," Mr. Reid announced, and the class began chanting as the plastic potato was passed after it was rewound, " _One potato, two potato, three potato, four. Five potato, six potato, seven potato, more._ "

When the toy buzzed again, Aaron noticed Jack was holding the toy. Mr. Reid smiled at his son and announced the word. He saw Jack think for a minute and smile. "Definition?"

"Great job, Jack. Adjective. Having little or no money or means of support," Mr. Reid stated.

He saw his son smile. "Poor. P-O-O-R. Poor."

Aaron stayed off to the side and watched a few more rounds, taking in the teacher's approach with his students. Aaron was stunned, and he was so damn attracted to the man he nearly threw himself to his knees and begged for the man's attention.

He approached the group as the bell went off in the school building. "Two-B, line up," Mr. Reid announced.

As the children scrambled, Aaron approached the handsome teacher. "Sorry to interrupt. I know I'm early. Why are you all outside? Isn't it a little late in the afternoon for a recess?" he asked.

He saw Dr. Reid appear to get angry. "Some sick fu…person called in a bomb threat at an elementary school. LEOs and bomb squads were inside securing the building. Apparently, they've given the all-clear with that bell.

"I had to come up with something spur-of-the-moment, so I grabbed Mr. Potato Head. We're just practicing for the spelling bee next spring because it was the fastest thing I could come up with when the notification came by text. Getting the kids out was the most important thing. Do you know anything about it, Agent Hotchner?" Spencer Reid asked quietly.

Aaron pulled out his phone. "I don't, but I will, SIO Reid," he stated quietly. When the two men gazed into each other's eyes, Hotch was mesmerized.

"Ah, so cards are on the table? Good to know," Mr. Reid stated as he directed his kids into the building with Aaron following like a puppy. He liked Spencer Reid, and having the CIA agent as his son's teacher? That couldn't be a bad thing, right?

…

"Why is my teacher coming over here for dinner? Am I in trouble?" Jack asked as Aaron opened the freezer bag from 'P.F. Chang's Frozen Selections'. He'd invited Dr. Reid over for dinner because there were things to clear up, and the easiest way to do it was to make dinner for the three of them without interruption from having food delivered. After a quick discussion with Spencer, as the man had requested he be addressed, they'd chosen Chinese.

Spencer had originally suggested Ethiopian, but when Aaron explained, "I don't know if any of the restaurants in the area are good. How about we try that next time?" Spencer had smiled and nodded.

Aaron grinned at Jack. "Not unless you did something I don't know about. He's a nice guy, and I'm worried about the bomb thing at school. I thought we could have him for dinner, and he and I could discuss what happened today. You know I won't embarrass you. I just wanna be sure you're safe, Buddy," Aaron reassured.

When the doorbell rang, Jack hopped off the stool and looked at Aaron, "Please be nice to him. I've heard some of the moms and teachers be mean to him, but he's nice, Dad."

Before Aaron could answer, Jack was gone. Aaron was a little worried about his son's confession as he put the lid on the sauté pan and walked to the hallway to see the handsome Dr. Reid squatting down with a box in his hands.

"Hi, Mr. Reid. We're happy you came," Jack stated as Aaron would have wanted him to do.

"These are for you, Jack. I know how much you like your chocolate," the teacher responded as he handed the boy a box.

When Jack opened it, Aaron saw the huge grin. "Thanks, Mr. Reid! Come in, please."

Spencer Reid looked up into Aaron Hotchner's eyes as he slowly stood from his squatted position, and Hotch nearly lost his breath. The man was absolutely gorgeous, if he was being honest. Knowing how intelligent he was only added to the attraction.

"You didn't need to bring anything, Dr…Spencer," Hotch told him as he extended his hand to shake. The other man hesitated for a minute, but he reached forward and shook Aaron's hand, squeezing gently.

"I'd give you statistics regarding the bacteria exchanged with an average handshake, but I'm afraid I'd take away both of our appetites. It's actually more sanitary to…" the man began before he stopped speaking. Hotch saw the flush of his cheeks, and he had to know what the man was going to say.

"More sanitary to…" he led.

"To, um, to k-kiss," Spencer said quietly as he looked around to see Jack was missing. He actually looked shy based on the body language Hotch observed. It was quite surprising in light of how confident Spencer had been the few times the two men had spoken previously.

Hotch chuckled. "Let's get to know each other a little bit better first, Dr. Reid. So, what was in the box?"

He guided Spencer into the kitchen where Jack was setting the table. Hotch noticed Jack had given up his usual seat next to Aaron, setting a place opposite him where he'd placed his glass of iced green tea and lemonade which the kid was currently into.

"Jack and I both like black and white cookies, and there's a bakery I frequent near my place where they make them. I bring in a selection of cookies for treats after difficult tests. Most of the kids like the chocolate chip or the chocolate peanut butter chip, but Jack and I both like the butter cookies dipped in white and dark chocolate. That's what I brought," Spencer explained.

Hotch laughed. "They were his mother's favorite. She used to make them for us for special days. Thank you for being so kind to him."

He noticed Spencer look back to see Jack had left the room before turning around and smiling at Hotch. "That little boy deserves as much kindness as anyone can give him. We need to talk, I know, but please don't ever get upset because I do special things for Jack. I meant it when I said I truly love having him in my class. He has a lot of empathy and compassion for his classmates. He shows his true nature every day by the way he treats peers.

"I finally got Paul transferred to Mrs. Padget's class, and I'm watching out to see that none of the other kids give him a hard time because he's shyer and quieter. He reminds me why I wanted to teach elementary school again," the man whispered.

When Jack returned with his hair combed, he presented his hands to his father, flipping them over for inspection. "Good job, Buddy. Take your seat while I get dinner on the table. Spence, take a seat," Aaron offered as he pulled out the chair next to his. When the lanky man sat down, Aaron couldn't resist touching the back of his neck. When he saw the shiver, he couldn't contain the grin.

Dinner was full of lively conversation about things that were mainly of interest to the seven-year old at the table with them. Hotch was surprised how informed Spencer was regarding the likes and dislikes of second graders, and the three men had laughed about the things Jack said in the natural course of the conversation. Spencer had adamantly agreed that "Bill Nye the Science Guy" was one of the coolest guys on TV. Aaron only laughed at the two of them.

After the discussion regarding an upcoming topics the class will be learning, Aaron was talked into chaperoning a trip to DC to the Natural History Museum. Aaron knew it was a hobby of Jack's to read about the prehistoric creatures, so he couldn't resist the opportunity to witness his son seeing the fossils first hand.

After the kitchen table was cleared and the dishwasher was loaded, Hotch made two cups of coffee and a hot chocolate in the single serve coffee maker, and the three men then settled in the living room to enjoy the cookies Spencer had brought along.

"Can we play the memory game?" Jack asked as he scrambled over to the game drawer of the entertainment center where there were some board games stored.

Aaron was about to protest when Spencer smiled. "I actually brought a different kind of memory game. It's a picture and then the spelling word of what's in the picture. You up for it?"

Both of them looked at Aaron. "I'm up for it," he said with a laugh. Spencer went to the hallway to his messenger bag and retrieved the box of cards, returning to the room and taking a squat on floor by the coffee table.

For the next hour and a half, they played the game. Hotch was shocked at how well Jack could play. When it was determined it was bedtime, Spencer gave the boy a hug. "I'm giving you this set of cards, but it's just between you and me, okay? I don't want the other kids at school thinking I'm playing favorites. Keep studying these, Jack. You're one of the best speller's in our class, and I want that trophy in our room," he told the smiling boy as they broke the hug.

"If you'll excuse me for a minute while I get Jack settled? There are stronger spirits in the cabinet in the dining room if you'd like to spike your coffee or have a nightcap. Help yourself, and if you're pouring one, would you please pour me a bourbon with three cubes?" Hotch saw Spencer smile and nod, so he scooped up Jack and gave him a piggyback ride to his room.

"You get into jams while I get your toothbrush ready. I'll let you watch an episode of _Arthur_ if you'd like. You were a very, very good boy tonight," he praised as he pulled out a clean pair of pajamas for Jack.

After Aaron had the boy settled into bed, he turned on the portable DVD player in Jack's room. It was only used as special rewards, so when he loaded the PBS DVD of one of Jack's favorite shows, he could see the bright smile on the boy's face. After he kissed Jack's forehead and started to leave, the boy grabbed his hand.

He turned to see Jack with a look of concern. "Please don't be mean to him," Jack reiterated.

He sat back down and took his son's hand. "Son, I like Mr. Reid. I wouldn't be mean to him. Who's mean to him?"

"Some of the other teachers say he's a bad name because he'd rather be outside with us at recess than sit in the teacher lounge with them. He's not a bad name, Daddy," Jack pleaded.

"What name do they say he is, Jack?"

The boy pulled him forward and cupped his hand to whisper into his father's ear. "I heard Miss Colby tell Mr. Winchell she thinks he's a pervert because he'd rather spend time with the kids than with her."

"Where'd you hear this?" Aaron asked quietly.

"I was in the nurse's office because I took Jimmy Hahn to the nurse when it was time for his medicine. Mr. Reid assigns us buddies, and I was Jimmy's buddy that week. They were in the hallway outside the nurse's office and I heard 'em talkin'."

"Did you hear what Principal Winchell said to her?" Aaron asked.

"He told her Mr. Reid had passed a 'ground check, and she needed to mind her own business," Jack explained.

Hotch held the laugh, knowing what the principal had said. "Don't you worry, Jack. I like Mr. Reid a lot, and I won't be mean to him. I'll be back to check on you in a half-hour," he told the boy after he kissed him goodnight and left the room, pulling the door almost closed after turning on the spaceship nightlight in the corner.

He took a deep breath before he went to the living room to address the handsome man with whom he was becoming somewhat obsessed. Hotch closed his eyes for a second, sending up a silent prayer for guidance. His feelings were something that needed to be sorted. Of course, there wasn't time.

When Hotch entered the living room, he saw Spencer had cleaned up the cards, securing them with a rubber band and placing them on the end table. There were two steaming cups of coffee on the table and two rocks glasses, each with amber liquid and a few cubes.

Aaron saw the man had taken off his loafers and was sitting on the couch cross-legged with one black sock and one purple one. It was a bit of a surprise, but based on the vibes Hotch was picking up from him, there was nothing ordinary about the younger man.

Aaron kicked off his loafers as well and joined the man on the couch, turning to look him in the eye. He wanted no lies between them. "I'm bisexual, and I haven't been with a guy since college. I was married to Jack's mom, my high school sweetheart, for fifteen years.

"Back then, we decided to take a break when we chose different colleges, and I did a bit of experimenting when I was on my own, solidifying my attraction to men was as strong as my attraction to women.

"Haley and I ended up getting back together after we graduated our undergrad. I went to law school, and after I finished, she and I got married.

"She wasn't happy when I left the Prosecutor's Office and went to the Bureau. She said she never wanted to be married to a cop. It made her think less of me, I think. When we finally decided to have children, we had to utilize invitro because I suffered from low-motility. When we found out it was me who was keeping us from conceiving, her opinion of me took another hit.

"I was likely never her knight-in-shining-armor, but after we found out we couldn't have a baby without help, I became the man who couldn't get her pregnant. It took us several years to get the desired results, but by then, we'd really lost the best of ourselves.

"We went to counseling after Jack was born, trying like hell to curb the bitterness between us, but it was too late. When I wouldn't leave my job with the BAU, she threatened divorce. When she finally acted on it, I was ready for it as well.

"All the bad shit that happened to us was my fault, and the guilt I felt because of her death was debilitating for a period of time. It's only been these last few months since school started I've been able to consider moving on." He took a sip of his bourbon and followed it with a gulp of coffee.

He'd just word vomited for nearly fifteen minutes, and if Spencer Reid didn't get up from his seat on the couch and run out the door, Hotch was prepared to actually _judge_ the hot guy. He knew he'd given him a lot to consider, so he sat back and turned on some soft music…Beatles. It was calming to Hotch as he waited for Spencer's response.

…

 _E/N: I've been writing a spin-off of 'If Anyone Objects'. It's a Jack and Henry story, based on the epilogue. It won't be a long one, but I have to write it. I'll let you know when I post it. Thanks again. Xoxo. ML_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: I'm so happy you're loving this story. Only a few of you feel like talking to me, but I've got over 700 hits, so I know more are reading! Thank you so much. Let's see what Spencer has to say to Aaron's speech at the end of chapter 5! I don't own CM. I don't infringe!_

…

Chapter 6.

As the extremely attractive man in front of him quickly and quietly recited his history and some of what were likely the most painful things he'd ever experienced, Spencer did his best to keep up. He looked into the man's eyes as he told his story because if he looked at his lips, there would be an outcome he was sure Aaron Hotchner wasn't expecting.

When Aaron stopped speaking, Spencer saw the expectant look in his eyes. "Ok, well that's a lot to say in a very short period of time. I've been accused of blurted ramblings when I've been on a mission, but I think you've got me beat, Aaron," he teased, hoping to lighten the mood.

Aaron reached over and took Spencer's hand. "Jack told me a teacher at your school accused you of being a pedophile. Did Principal Winchell tell you anything about it?"

Spencer laughed. "That bitch, Maryann Colby, has been after me since we showed up to ready our classrooms the third week of August. She hit on me, and I turned her down. She's been after me ever since, and every time she suggests we do something together, I turn her down and piss her off. I'm not surprised she accused me of something of the sort, but Tom Winchell knows I'm not anything but a nice second grade teacher."

He was relieved when Aaron nodded. "Does he know you're a Senior Intelligence Officer for the CIA? I've got my tech analyst on suspension because she hacked your information. She only did it for me, and she hasn't shared it with anyone but me, Spence. Can you call off the dogs? IO Prentiss with her gun to my head scared the piss out of me," Hotch explained.

Spencer felt bad about it. "I'm sorry the team went a little crazy. I'm sure the BAU would do the same thing if they were worried about you. I've called them off, I promise. I'll tell you anything you want to know, Aaron. You don't need to get Miss Garcia to hack into my life to find out things about me," he told the man as the two of them each settled back against opposite ends of the long, leather couch. They stretched out their legs and had a frank discussion regarding what was going on with them and what it might mean to their respective jobs.

The fact Spencer was Jack's teacher was one consideration. The fact Spencer was a Senior Intelligence Officer with the CIA was another, and Aaron's position with the FBI was something to be weighed into the mix. It sounded hopeless as they discussed it.

Finally, at midnight, Reid rose from the couch after slipping his feet into his loafers. "So, we've decided to defer to professional courtesy? I'll continue to teach your son, and you'll stop your Ms. Garcia from hacking my information and selling my whereabouts to the highest bidder? I've got a few enemies out there I'd rather not meet in a dark alley. We're cool?"

When Hotch nodded, Reid felt his heart sink. "Thanks for dinner, Agent," he stated as he headed for the front door.

"You're welcome, SIO," was the response as Reid ambled out the front door and down the stairs in the hallway. Yet again, his career had gotten in the way of something that had so fucking much promise, he could nearly taste it. It was frustrating as hell.

…

 _Halloween_

"Great job, everyone. Recess time, line up, please," Reid instructed his class.

 _He'd been away from school the week prior because there was a domestic terrorist threat he was sent to assist with in New Jersey. A home-grown cell had popped up and chatter led them to believe there was going to be an attack at a huge shopping mall on Halloween. They'd infiltrated and stopped the attack before it really got legs._

 _Spencer hadn't seen Aaron Hotchner since the field trip to the Natural History Museum in late September. They'd been cordial to each other, very aware of the other parents who were on the field trip. Spencer couldn't help but glance at Aaron when he was anywhere nearby, and a few times, he was sure he'd seen the man returning his glances._

 _The three divorced moms from the class hit on Spencer and harassed him as he'd expected, but he ignored them as he'd done when they'd planned the trip before school started. He saw Aaron with a look of annoyance on his face more than once. Spencer didn't really know what to make of it._

As the kids lined up to go outside, Spencer noticed the room parents standing in the hallway attempting to be covert while some were dressed in costumes with trays of snacks and smiles. He wasn't always fond of the parents who wanted to be involved in school activities, but he was pleased they seemed to come through when it counted for the kids.

The kids ran around the playground to burn off steam as Reid looked out on the visitor parking lot. He noticed two white panel vans pull up in front of the school while two other vans blocked the entrance and exit of the lot. That set off those tingles on the back of his neck, and he didn't like it. He pulled his Agency cell from his vest pocket and hit speed dial one. "Lynch," he heard over the line.

"Run a check for me immediately. Virginia tags. Charlie-alpha-foxtrot-four-three-one, and kilo-november-romeo-two-six-five. Do I need to repeat? Do it now and call me back. Two white Dodge panel vans have blocked the entrance and exit of the visitor parking lot, and there are two parked next to the school. Most of the kids are outside the building, but the parents are inside preparing for Halloween parties," he explained to Kevin Lynch, his tech guru.

"Roger that, Boss," he heard over the line as he hung up and looked around to check his kids' locations on the playground.

He quickly blew the whistle for them, and when they eagerly assembled, he smiled the calmest smile he had in his arsenal. "We're going to go on a leaf hunt. We need colorful leaves for an art project Mrs. Wingman has planned before Thanksgiving. Take the hand of your buddy and let's move over toward the trees," Dr. Reid explained.

He quickly dialed the number he'd put in his phone on a whim, hoping to get Aaron. "Mr. Reid? We're not quite…" Aaron Hotchner began explaining.

"Get everyone out of that school. There are two white panel vans blocking the entrance and exit of the parking lot, and two of them are parked in front of the school. Something's going down. Get people out. Pull the fucking fire alarm if you have to. I've got Jack, and he's safe. When that alarm goes off, the kids and teachers outside will go to the far end of the playground. I don't have time to round them up quietly. We need emergency procedures. Hurry," he ordered.

When the alarm sounded, he saw his kids scramble up to him. "Stick together and walk _slowly_ to the end of the block as we've practiced. Mirabelle Gomez, you lead the way, and you all take a seat when you get to the end of the block like we've practiced. I'm going to help the others. Make me proud, ladies and gentlemen." Once they were on their way in an orderly fashion, Reid hurried back to try to organize the chaos on the playground.

When parents started running out of the building, he saw the two vans at the school entrance move to leave the premises, but they were quickly stopped by LEOs. A SWAT team skidded into place and quickly approached the vans. As they were spotted, men poured out of the vehicles with automatic tactical weapons and began shooting in every direction.

Reid ran down the street to see Jack had led the kids to hide next to a house with a large cedar tree as camouflage. "Great job, Jack. Stay here and stay down," Reid ordered as he ran back toward the chaos.

He heard bullets hitting the metal fencing of the playground, so he did a dive roll to angle himself behind a slide as he pulled his phone. He hit the speed dial and got Emily, his go-to person. "We're on the way, but you didn't give us enough notice. There's no chatter, repeating, no chatter, regarding any threats at Proctor. We have no read on the situation. Are you safe? Are your students secured?" she asked.

Just then, Reid saw a welcome sight. Aaron Hotchner came running out of the building in a t-shirt and jeans. He was wearing an FBI Kevlar, and he had one in his hand as he raced over to Reid. "Here. Put this on and come with me," he snapped as he handed Reid a Glock 19.

Reid did as he requested, strapping on the vest as the two of them made their way around the side of the building to the parking lot. They surveyed the situation and looked at each other. There was a man standing next to one of the white vans with a device in his hand, holding it up high as he yelled at the SWAT officers who had the vans surrounded. He was speaking loud enough Reid could hear him, understanding what the guy was saying.

"He says the school's wired with C4. It's in the basement. He's threatening to blow it up unless his demands are met," Reid explained.

"What the hell is that language?" Hotch asked.

"Djibouti. They're Somali. The Ethiopian Ambassador's son goes to school here. That's what this is about," Spencer told Aaron.

Aaron pulled out his phone and began spouting orders. The two watched as the SWAT team rushed the Somali UnSubs and took them down. Everyone was grateful there was no loss of life. A few people were injured in the initial rush to evacuate the school, but it wasn't anything life threatening.

After the chaos at the scene, the school was searched and cleared for any bombs or incendiary devices. All four vans, however, were loaded with explosives. The two vans parked next to the school building would have caused damage to the school had they been detonated, and apparently, the Somali rebels decided to attack the school because there were many children in attendance who had diplomatic parents. It wasn't because it was Halloween…they had no concept of holiday.

The rebel extremists didn't expect parents to be at the school that day. Their plan was to hold the children hostage until their parents paid ransom for their release. After receiving the money, they planned to execute the child of the Ethiopian Ambassador as a matter of course and send the money back to their counterparts in Somalia.

When they saw so many cars on the parking lot, they weren't sure what to do, so they panicked which was how law enforcement had enough time to make a difference. The outcome was a huge win for all authorities involved, but it was never credited to Dr. Spencer Reid. He was happy his cover wasn't blown, even if Aaron Hotchner wasn't happy with the attention he received from the press and local law enforcement.

The parties at the school were cancelled, but the kids were given their treats to take home. As Jack Hotchner was gathering his things to leave the classroom, he walked over to Spencer's desk and handed him a small felt bag.

"What's this, Jack?" Spencer asked.

"It's a four leaf clover in a glass thing. My mommy got it from Grandpa Roy for her birthday one year. Aunt Jess gave it to me, and I want you to have it. It's good luck. Thank you for keeping us safe, Mr. Reid. I was scared, but I knew you'd keep us from getting hurt. You're my four-leaf clover, so I don't need it anymore. I want you to have it," Jack insisted.

Spencer sunk down on one knee and hugged the boy. He'd never been so touched in his life. "Thanks, Jack. I'll keep it with me all the time. Happy Halloween," he whispered as he pulled the boy back, seeing the tears on his face. Spencer couldn't hold his own. The day had been so full of drama it was exhausting. All Spencer wanted to do was go home, have a beer and forget what the fuck had happened.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Aaron standing next to him with a tender smile. "Come home with us, Spencer. Let's take Jack trick-or-treating, and then we'll have the chicken stew I put in the crock pot this morning. One of my agents, Jennifer Jareau, is bringing her son and husband over to join us. I think my tech analyst and another of my agents will be coming over as well. I'd love for you to meet them. Only Penelope knows anything about you," the sexy agent invited. All Reid could do was nod.

…

That night, Spencer met JJ, Will, and Henry, along with Morgan and Penelope Garcia, who covertly apologized profusely for hacking his information. He simply laughed. They took the two boys through the neighborhood where Aaron and Jack lived, and Reid actually had fun getting to know members of Aaron's team.

When they returned to Aaron's house later that evening, Spencer saw the black Merc sitting in front of the house. He knew it was SSA David Rossi, but he wasn't sure what the man meant to Aaron.

"This is David Rossi, FBI profiler and author extraordinaire. Dave, this is Spencer Reid, Jack's teacher and my friend," Aaron introduced. The two men shook hands as everyone went into the house. Later, after Aaron put Jack and Henry to bed in Jack's room, the adults had a few beers while the Agents told some war stories.

Reid felt eyes on him most of the night…sometimes they were Aaron Hotchner's, and sometimes, they were David Rossi's. When it was time to leave, Aaron walked Spencer to the front door while Dave began loading the dishes.

"Thanks again for what you did today, Spencer. I feel a lot better knowing you're on staff at Proctor and you're looking out for my son. I had a really good time tonight, and I'd like to do it again some time," Aaron stated as the two men stood on the front porch.

Reid thought for a minute. "You have some nice co-workers. That'd be nice. Maybe I can bring a few of my colleagues and we can all go out for dinner or something, soon," he offered.

Aaron nodded. "Yeah, that's something to consider later on, but I'd like just the two of us to go out first." He leaned forward and kissed Spencer on the cheek. "I'll be in touch," the FBI Agent stated as he walked back inside.

Reid looked up to the kitchen window where David Rossi stood with a large smile on his face. When he gave Spencer a 'thumbs-up', he was glad to learn Rossi was just a friend, and maybe Reid actually had a shot with Aaron Hotchner. That thought made him smile and wave at Rossi as he got into his car.

It wasn't how he thought the day would end…it was so much better.

…

 _E/N: Love to hear from you. I know it wasn't what you expected, but things are coming along. On another note, I posted a new story last night from the "If Anybody Objects" 'verse. It picks up at the epilogue with Jack and Henry. If you liked "IAO", I think you'll like it. Thanks for reading. ML_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Hello! Thank you for your reviews and for reading. I truly appreciate it. I don't CM and I don't infringe. There will be smexy times! Please see the note at the bottom!_

…

 **Chapter 7**.

After the events of Halloween, Hotch was more on alert regarding the things that happened at Jack's school. He'd actually contacted Andi Swann and was able to convince her to get an agent assigned to security at Jack's school. Ashley Seaver had worked with the BAU while she was finishing up at the Academy, and Hotch knew she was a competent Agent who would do well in a school setting.

He and Spencer spoke on the phone nearly every night, whether Aaron was in town or away, and they were getting closer. When he was out of town, Hotch had the solace of having SIO Reid watching out for his son during the day, and when he was in town, he made sure to pick Jack up from school so he could see the man he was falling for…hard. One night, he received a text from Spencer.

 _I have to cancel tomorrow night. I have to go out of town. I won't be able to contact you because I'll be under, but I should be back in a week or two. Please take care of yourselves. I understand Miss Seaver, the beautiful new substitute teacher at Proctor, will be taking my classes while I'm gone. I'm sure you have_ _everything_ _to do with it. Take care, Aaron. Spence_

It was disappointing, but Aaron knew it couldn't be helped. He'd had to cancel dates because of cases, so it wasn't for lack of desire they hadn't been able to get together since Halloween. Prior to that day, Hotch could tell Reid was pulling away, but after what went down at the school, everything seemed to change between them. He wanted to find out why, but he was going to have to be patient. For the first time in his life, he knew exactly how Haley must have felt over the years…waiting for someone you loved to return, unscathed. It left a bad twisting in his gut.

…

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, he'd secured the team's stand-down so they could all have the holiday to spend with family. There were three other units who didn't work as often as Hotch's, so he felt it was justified. He and Jack were planning to go to the movies that afternoon, and then go to Garcia's place for dinner with her and Rossi, neither of whom had any family left alive. He wished Spencer was around to go with them.

He hadn't heard from SIO Reid since the text message shortly after Halloween. He'd sent a few texts to the man, but he'd heard nothing in return. He wasn't exactly worried, but not knowing where the man was in the world was a new thing to Aaron.

He wasn't sure if he was ready to accept being the one kept in the dark, worrying alone. Haley had done it for years, and it had become a wedge between the two of them. He and Spencer weren't actually a 'thing' yet, but there was potential, Aaron hoped.

It didn't seem fair to shoot it down before it got started just because his potential love interest had a job which would take him away from home without notice. If anything, Aaron should be used to the situation and be completely empathetic.

Just as the buzzer for the stove sounded, the buzzer for the intercom went off. He heard Jack running, so he caught him in the hallway. "Don't open the oven. I'll get the door and be right there. Just turn it off, okay?" The boy smiled and nodded, so Aaron put him down and went to the door.

"Yes?"

"I have a delivery for Aaron and Jack Hotchner," he heard a man state. It wasn't a voice he recognized, so he responded, "Just leave it with the front desk. I'll pick it up later. You're interrupting our dinner."

"Sorry, but this is when I was told to make the delivery. I need Mr. Hotchner to sign for it," the voice stated.

Aaron buzzed the guy up and went to the kitchen to take out the frozen pizza he'd heated up for Jack for dinner. It was a sad state of affairs for him to be feeding his son a frozen pizza, but Garcia had told him not to fill the fridge because she was planning to send a bunch of food home with them the next day, so he'd skipped cooking that night in favor of pizza and a movie.

"Grab paper plates and meet me in the living room. We'll turn on the movie while we eat. I've gotta sign for a package," he instructed Jack. The boy scrambled up onto a stool and began gathering paper plates and napkins as Aaron walked to the front door when the bell rang.

He looked through the peephole and shook his head. The guy was a typical bike messenger. Grungy clothes, racing cap and helmet, and scraggly beard. Aaron laughed as he opened the door. He saw the guy had an envelope in his hand as he chewed what appeared to be a full-pack of gum. "Here and here, dude?" the guy stated in a low voice as he handed Aaron an electronic device and pointed to two places where his signature was required.

He didn't see a return address on the device, so he hesitated. "Who's it from?" The anthrax case from a few months prior came to mind wherein a loaned agent had been exposed and nearly died during a case, so he took no chances.

The guy took the device back and punched a few buttons. "It's from Emily Prentiss. The message reads, ' _Your turn. I'm exhausted'_ ," the guy told him as he blew a bubble which popped, leaving gum in the scraggly beard and nearly causing Aaron to throw up.

"Fuck. I hate when that happens. Give me a minute to…" the messenger stated as he began pulling gum out of his beard so roughly it was taking the hair. Finally, he reached up to his left ear and pulled hard. When the beard gave way, the man howled in pain. Hotch instinctively reached down to his ankle for the gun that wasn't there. When there was no blood, he froze.

The man continued to rip the beard off his face, along with a false nose and the sunglasses he'd been wearing. When he pulled the cap and helmet off his head, Aaron started laughing. "You scared the shit outta me, Dr. Reid."

There, standing before him was the boyish face of Spencer Reid with a few pieces of whatever material he'd used in his disguise. Without hesitation, he leaned forward and captured Aaron's lips in a soft kiss. "The 'Dr. Reid' thing is sexy. I've really missed you, Aaron."

Hotch was so surprised, he could only step aside and pull Spencer inside with him. He pressed the man against the door and kissed him again, gently pushing his tongue through Reid's sumptuous lips, caressing the face of the sexy man standing in front of him. Reid pushed him forward a little but stepped with him, not breaking the kiss. When there was a thud on the floor, Aaron opened his eyes to see a backpack hit the floor. He quickly stepped away from Spencer just before Jack ran into the hallway to see what all the noise was about.

"Mr. Reid! Where _was_ you?" Jack asked as he took Spencer's hand to lead him to the living room.

"Hang on, Jack. Let me take off these shoes before they mark up your dad's floor," Spencer explained as he toed off the biking shoes. Aaron had to hand it to him…he committed to the disguise.

After the shoes were placed next to the backpack, Jack led Spencer down the hall toward Aaron's bedroom. "Let's wash up. We're havin' pizza and we have enough for you." Spencer laughed while he followed the boy. Aaron was so happy to see Reid, he didn't even care that Jack had invited the man to stay without consent.

Aaron grabbed two beers and another paper plate. He was anxious to find out what the man had been up to and what brought him by. He had, indeed, missed Spencer Reid. There were discussions to be had, but there was time…Hotch hoped.

A few minutes later, the man and boy returned to the living room, and it was then Aaron saw Reid's outfit. He was wearing bike shorts, low socks, and a sweatshirt. His hair was wet and had been combed away from his face, and the flakes of rubber on his skin were missing.

"So, you've been playing bike messenger for the last ten days?" Aaron asked as he passed Spencer a beer after the three of them sat on the floor around the coffee table.

Spencer laughed. "I wish. No, I was doing something a little riskier than delivering packages, but I wanted to be certain no one ever follows me here. I'd never want anything to happen to you and Jack. You've both been through enough, Aaron. We need to talk about some things, you know," Spencer told him.

Aaron nodded, and the three of them proceeded to devour a large pizza while watching an animated movie Jack loved. When the movie was over, Aaron picked up his sleeping son and turned to Spencer. "I'll be back in a few. Make yourself at home," he instructed.

He took Jack back to his room and changed him into his pajamas. As he was tucking the boy into bed, Jack roused a bit. "Be nice to him. Ask him to go to Aunt Penny's with us tomorrow." Before Aaron could answer, the boy was sound asleep.

He turned on the nightlight and left the door open a bit before he walked down the hallway to the living room where he found Spencer sitting on the floor with his back against the couch. He was wearing glasses, and he looked far too sexy. Hotch took a deep breath and knocked on the wall so as to give the man a heads-up he was coming into the room.

"How was…um, how've you been?" Hotch asked, not exactly sure of the protocol regarding CIA operative.

The lanky man rose from the floor and walked over to where Hotch was standing behind a chair. "You afraid of me, SSA Hotchner?" he asked as he took Aaron's hand and pulled him to sit in the chair. When Spencer climbed into his lap and sat down, Aaron was a bit stunned.

"A-afraid? No, I wouldn't say I'm afraid of you. I'm just not sure what's okay to ask. You've been gone for a week and a half. I didn't hear from you, and I had no way of knowing if you were coming back. I was concerned," Hotch explained.

Reid giggled, which caught Aaron off guard. "My job is really no different than yours with the exception I can be called away at the last…oh, wait. You do that too, don't you?"

Aaron laughed darkly. "Yes, Spencer, I have to leave at the drop of a hat as you've experienced, but I'm somewhere in the fifty states. You could be anywhere in the world, and if you were killed, I'd never know it. You could disappear on me tomorrow morning, and it would be like you were never in my life. I'd truly hate it, and I'm worried about what I'd say to Jack. I'm not sure…" he began.

When Spencer leaned forward and captured his lips in a soft kiss, Aaron stopped talking. The two men kissed, holding onto each other as the feelings swirled inside each of them. Aaron was sure it was their hearts bonding, but he was still worried. He knew he loved Spencer Reid, but he was afraid to set himself and his son up for more heartache.

When he pulled away, he saw a soft smile on Spencer's face. "I'm stepping down as Team Leader. I'll still work with the team, but only from home. Emily is being promoted over the team. She's the one who demanded I come here to see you two because I was a pain in the ass while we were gone. She'll be a great boss.

"Look, Aaron, I have very deep feelings for you, and yes, I'll worry about you when you're gone, but being able to still communicate with you is very important to me. I know I can't offer that same availability in my current position, which is why I've spoken with my boss and told her I'm stepping down and going to fade into the sidelines.

"I like teaching, so I'm going to continue to do just that, and I'm not leaving the Agency completely. I can do what I do from here, so I'll be able to look out for Jack when you have to go away. I'm hoping we can be more to each other than just teacher/parent who sometimes get together for meals. I want more than that with you, and I promise, you'll have my undivided attention when we're together. No more half-in. It's all or nothing. What do you say?" Spencer asked.

Aaron was surprised by the man's frankness, but he wasn't upset with it. It was everything he wanted to hear from him, and he was prepared to take the plunge. "One condition, Spencer. I gotta take a test drive first," he told the younger man. He noticed the gleam in Spencer's eyes right away, and he was happy to see it.

Spencer rose from his lap and stuck out his hand to help Aaron up. "Well, Boss, let's go check under the hood." The two men walked down the hallway, arm in arm, only stopping to look in on Jack. When they ascertained he was sound asleep, they went into Aaron's room, closing and locking the door.

They kissed each other, gently at first, but the passion caught fire before either man knew what had happened. As they began shedding their clothes, kisses became more fevered, and when they collapsed on the bed, they both stopped moving and looked into each other's eyes. "You sure you're ready for this? You haven't been with a guy since college, right?" Spencer asked.

"That's right, SIO Reid. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to be gentle with me," Aaron whispered as he pulled Spencer atop his body and wrapped his arms around the younger man's shoulders. Their bodies lined up perfectly, and desire took it from there. Fevered kisses. Biting nips. Licking and sucking. Many heady moans were quietly escaping from both men who were trying desperately to be quiet so as not to wake the impressionable young boy in the room across the apartment.

Feeling the heat that accompanied the wonderful feeling of becoming one with another human was more than Aaron could take. "I love you, Spencer. You can't leave me…us…behind."

Spencer leaned forward from his seat atop Aaron's hard cock and slowed his movements. "Thank God because I was so afraid I was in this alone. I was afraid I was making all these plans only to be left with egg on my face. I love you, too, Aaron," he whispered into Aaron's ear. At hearing the proclamation, Aaron allowed the pleasure to take him. It felt more incredible than he'd ever imagined. It was powerful. That was the easiest way to describe the feelings consuming his body as Spencer rode him. It was a powerful love.

…

 _E/N: Hope you enjoyed it. I have a favor. I love reading CM stories, but I have a hard time finding good ones, so if you'd be so kind as to give me a head's up on things you like in the Hotch/Reid, Morgan/Reid, Morgan/Garcia, or Reid/Prentiss pairings, I'd appreciate it. I'm mostly a slash lover, but I love Morgan and Garcia and wish to hell they'd get them together on the show! Also, Reid/Prentiss intrigues me, even though I'm not a huge fan of hetero romance. Love to hear from you. ML_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Thank you for reading and DJQ, thank you for your words of encouragement. Happy to hear from you. Let's see where we are. I don't own Criminal Minds, and I don't infringe. (PS – Thanks R.A.D. for the rec of MadLori's "How to Fight Loneliness." It's a great introduction for me to Reid/Prentiss!)_

…

Chapter 8.

Spencer was sitting in his office in Langley. It was the Friday after Thanksgiving, and he was waiting for a call from Erin Strauss, his superior. She wasn't the easiest person in the world to work for, but he wasn't prepared to give her a lot of choices…either she allowed him to quietly go back to working part-time from home, promoting Emily to his previous position, or he resigned completely.

He knew she hated being boxed in, but he also knew his skills as a cryptologist were far superior to anyone's in the country, and in most other countries, for that matter. She definitely wouldn't want to lose him as an asset, and as he'd told Aaron before they fell asleep Wednesday…well, Thursday morning. If his country really needed him, he'd step up, but he'd damn well take some happiness for himself in the meantime, and that happiness was with Aaron Hotchner.

 _Thanksgiving had been a pretty wonderful day. Reid had snuck out early on Thursday morning to go home to change into something more presentable than his biking togs. The ride had been chilly, but the hot shower was welcome._

 _When he returned to Aaron's house with freshly baked pumpkin muffins he'd picked up at the bake shop near his apartment, he picked the lock to get back inside, having made certain the door was locked tight when he left. He turned on the coffee maker and made two cups. He plated two muffins and carried it all to Aaron's bedroom after checking to see Jack was still sleeping._

 _He closed the bedroom door quietly with his hip before he placed the mugs of coffee on the bedside table. He placed the plate on the floor and quickly took off his slacks and sweater, arranging them neatly on the chair in the corner. He hopped back into bed with Aaron who was naked, and he wished he'd take off his boxer-briefs and undershirt. Oh, and socks._

 _He spooned up behind Aaron and wrapped an arm around the man's waist. Kissing his shoulder and the back of his neck gently, trying not to roust the man. When a throat cleared, he knew he'd failed at his mission. "Where'd you go?" Aaron asked._

 _Spencer snickered. "I went home to take my bike, shower, change, and pick up muffins for my two favorite men on the whole planet. Did I wake you when I left? I tried to be quiet."_

 _When Aaron laughed and turned over to snuggle into Spencer's chest, he was a little surprised. The man was a tough FBI profiler. Reid would never have pegged the man as a cuddler, but feeling him close to Reid him very happy. He wasn't a cuddler either, but there was room to learn new tricks._

" _My bladder woke me, and I actually convinced myself it was a dream because there wasn't a trace of you left behind. I mean, not even the condom we used," Aaron whispered._

 _Reid cursed himself for being so acute at erasing himself from every situation. It was a horrible habit that had served him well in his position with the CIA. It was then he wondered if some of his previous conquests had thought the same thing. Was he too much of a ghost he couldn't learn to let go a little?_

" _I'm sorry, baby. Old habits and all. I'd hoped you sleep through my absence. I brought coffee and muffins. You like it black, right?" he asked, skimming over the comment Aaron had made regarding his clean-up._

" _What time is it? What are you doing today, by the way? Jack and I are going to a movie this afternoon, and then to Garcia's for dinner with her and Dave. You have other plans? We'd love to have you with us," Aaron invited._

 _For a moment, Reid almost said he was busy, but it would have been a lie. It was a horrible old habit, his spending holidays alone while ignoring them as much as possible. It was time to break that habit because he actually had a reason to celebrate the holidays…Jack and Aaron._

" _Would your Miss Garcia be upset if I tagged along? I don't want to upset a seating chart or anything."_

 _Aaron chuckled. "She'll be happy to have you. More the merrier is Garcia's personal mantra. Now, where's that coffee, and why am I feeling cotton instead of skin?" Aaron mumbled as he worked his hands beneath Spencer's undershirt._

 _The two men slowly made love again and then drank the tepid coffee while they fed each other pumpkin muffins. It was sickeningly sweet, Spencer was certain, but in all his life, he'd never been happier to get crumbs in a bed while laughing with someone he never meant to love. It was perfect._

The knock brought him from the memories. "Come in," he stated, scooting under his desk to hide the proof of his stroll down memory lane, remembering the wonderful time he'd shared with Jack, Aaron, and his friends the previous day. He'd stayed the night again, feeling Aaron's head resting on his chest while he slept was life affirming. He'd hated to leave that morning, but he had some things to settle.

When the door opened and Erin Strauss entered, he could see she had a folder in her hands and a frown on her face. It wasn't really a surprise. "I received your message, Officer Reid. You wanted to see me?" she asked with disdain clearly evident in her voice. He knew she didn't like him, but he didn't care. She wasn't in the position to make his life difficult because he had friends in higher places.

"I'd have come to see you, Ma'am. I just wanted to make a formal request for reassignment to a stationary unit. Here's my paperwork," he told her as he pulled the papers off his printer, signed them, and then placed them into a folder. He placed it on his desk in front of her and waited.

Instead of picking it up, she tossed a blue folder in front of him with the official seal of the CIA on the front. "Did you and Officer Prentiss think you could keep this business under the radar? Nobody farts in this organization without me knowing what they had for dinner last night, do you understand? I've been on the phone with Mateo Cruz regarding his agent's hacking of our system. There will be severe repercussions to the Bureau because of it. I'm sending you to London to work with MI6 until things die down. It's not a request, Reid. It's an order," she snapped as she picked up his request and tossed it into the trash.

"You're making a mistake, Erin. I'll leave the Agency," he threatened.

She laughed harshly. "You need this life as much as you need to breath. This bullshit school teacher job? You're trying to create a fantasy where you're normal, Reid, but you're not. You're a machine created by the CIA, and you can't leave us behind. You'd eat your gun within a month, and we both know it. I'll call off Cruz if you insist and have SSA Hotchner on administrative leave if you're on the next flight to London.

"Aaron Hotchner has a girlfriend, you know. Beth Clemmons. She's a curator in an art gallery in New York. It's a long distance thing, but he goes to see her a couple times a month. Where does he tell _you_ he's going?" she tossed out as she left the room, and the file on his desk.

He opened it, much against his better judgment. He saw everything he expected. Bank records, charge records, still shots from security cameras showing Aaron with a beautiful woman in various places around New York. The smile Aaron gave the woman was the same smile he'd given Spencer when he got out of bed and told the Agent he had to go to the office for a little while. Aaron had asked him to come back, and he agreed after sharing several greedy kisses.

Reid was pissed…at Erin Strauss…at himself…at Aaron Hotchner. It was more than he was prepared to handle on the Friday after Thanksgiving…a holiday he'd never celebrated before until Aaron took him to Penelope's home.

He wished he'd never gone. Never opened himself up to the man. He knew Aaron was bi because the man had been honest. How he never thought to ask if there was anyone else in the picture escaped him. He could feel his heart crumbling as he sat there reviewing the comings and goings of Aaron Hotchner and his girlfriend, Beth Clemmons.

How Erin Strauss ever knew to have the man followed, he wasn't sure. Of course, he'd never asked Emily outright to keep their relationship a secret, but she and Kevin Lynch were Agency-loyal, so he didn't have to guess Strauss had sucked them into her plan.

He gave some consideration to how to proceed. He was confused regarding his loyalties because he didn't want to just disappear, leaving Aaron to wonder if he was dead or had just run away, so he decided he'd actually be a man and do things the noble way. Break-up, part as friends, and then disappear so he didn't have to have his nose rubbed in Aaron Hotchner's life. He'd miss Jack, but the boy needed a mother, and on paper, Beth Clemmons seemed to fill the bill.

As the options for breaking it off floated through his head…phone call…text…handwritten letter…e-mail…Molotov cocktail…Reid took a deep breath. It was barely even a relationship. There was no need for hate. They'd never said they were exclusive, so it was really easy.

Reid gathered his things, including the large file Erin Strauss had given him because he was a masochist and that night, he'd get drunk and go over every detail in the file, wondering what he'd missed. How he'd turned into a masochist was beyond him, and he was sure there wasn't enough brandy in the world to drown the memories of what could have been.

By the time he'd climbed into his old, blue Volvo, his mind was made up. He'd stop by Aaron's house and do the right thing. He'd tell the man he'd been reassigned and thank him for the time the two men had spent together. He'd decline saying good-bye to Jack, but he'd reassure Aaron that Ashley Seaver would be well-prepared to take over his classroom. He'd even wish him well with Beth Clemmons. It would be a very grown-up goodbye. He felt up to the task, and it was really for the best.

When Jessica Brooks opened the door, he was surprised. He quickly gathered himself. "Ms. Brooks, how are you? I was just..." he began.

She laughed and pulled him inside. "Aaron just went to the store. He'll be back in a few minutes. He was bitch…complaining about being out of coffee, so he made a list and ran to the store. I stopped by to give Jacks a gift from my dad.

"Roy's in a nursing home because of Alzheimer's, and Aaron helps me pay for it. He's a great guy, and apparently, the two of you have hit it off. I'm so happy to see him with a smile on his face. It's been a while, Mr. Reid," she explained, breaking Spencer's heart once again.

He took a breath, remembering the details in the file. "I thought Mr. Hotchner was seeing a nice woman…uh, Beth Campbell? Jack's teacher from last year mentioned her," he lied.

He saw Jessica's face mold into a frown. "Her name was Beth Clemmons and she wasn't really Aaron's type. They dated a while, and when she moved to New York, they tried to keep it going, but it was only a couple of months. She didn't want a family, and Aaron comes with a ready-made one. She actually took a job in Hong Kong recently. He said she called to tell him, and he was happy for her because…well, he has you," the woman told him with a smile.

He did his best to keep the scowl from his face because his anger wasn't aimed at Jess Brooks. It was aimed at Erin Strauss, so he'd put it away for another time. He pulled his concentration back to what was important. "Is Jack here?"

"Oh, Gosh! I'm sorry. Come inside, please. He went with Aaron to the store. I'm just doing a load of laundry because my washer's broken. So, how was dinner with Penelope and Dave? They're so great," she gushed as the two of them sat down in the kitchen to await the return of Aaron and Jack Hotchner. Reid couldn't wait to see them.

…

 _E/N: Hmmm… No throwing things. Projectile objects are very dangerous!_

 _Head's up…one more regular chapter and an Epilogue. Thanks for reading!_


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: I'm sad this is the end, but I've had so much fun writing this story. I wanted to do something a little different, and I feel I did. Thank you to those who read and those who left their thoughts. I appreciate you all. I don't own CM…I also don't infringe._

…

 **Chapter 9.**

"Come on. It's not a full shopping trip; we're just getting coffee, eggs, bread, and milk," Aaron explained as he and Jack stood in the dairy aisle.

Aaron wanted to get back home because Spencer told him he had to go to Langley, but he'd be back as quick as he could. Aaron wanted to make the three of them breakfast after he got rid of Jessica who needed to suddenly do laundry. He couldn't be mad at her because she helped him more than he could have ever expected. She was truly a godsend.

"Can't we go to IHOP? I want pancakes, and I bet Mr. Spencer likes them," Jack suggested.

Hotch took a deep breath. He needed to explain a few things to his son, and it wasn't going to be easy, he was sure. "I'm sure he likes pancakes, but I can't make them. He likes to spend time with us at our apartment, Jack. Mr. Spencer is kinda…he doesn't like to go out much, you know? He appreciates his privacy, just like me," he explained as the hurried through the aisles.

"He's private, right? Like I can't talk about your job at school 'cause it's private. I don't tell anybody, Daddy," his son admitted. Aaron hated himself for putting his son in that position. Hell, with Spencer's job, it was even more private. Was he making a mistake by getting involved with the CIA operative?

"God, what the fuck am I doing," Hotch whispered to himself as he and Jack made their way to the milk shelves.

After they'd collected their groceries, they paid and made their way to the parking lot. Once they climbed into the Tahoe with Jack secured in the back, they pulled out of the lot. As Aaron made it to the first stop light, he noticed a black Suburban behind him. It had government plates, but they weren't Bureau issued.

"Jack, put on your headphones. I'll put on Disney Radio," Aaron told him as he pushed the satellite button on the radio once Jack had the headphones secured.

He sped up a little to see if the tail was going to keep pace or lay back. When he turned left and took the on-ramp to I-95 North, he saw the tail do the same. He grabbed his cell and dialed Garcia. "Hey, Bossman. Need instructions on how…" she began.

"Garcia, I need to know who's tailing me on 95 North. I'm at mile marker…" he spouted off, knowing she had a fix on his personal vehicle and would find him. He just hoped she'd find the car behind him sooner.

"I'm searching, My Liege. Just keep going straight. Yes! There you are. Okay, take the next exit and head toward Quantico. I need traffic cams to see if I can identify them. I can't get a read on their on-board computer because it's scrambled, Sir," she told him.

Aaron pulled out the light from his glove box and shoved it into the front window, plugging it into the console. "Jack, I need you to unbuckle yourself and lay down in the floor. Move up under the seat as best you can, okay? I need to drive faster," he ordered.

After he was sure Jack had done as he asked, he had a flash of when his son and Haley were being held hostage and Aaron had told him to 'work the case.' His heart broke again. Just as he took the exit off 95 to Manassas Blvd, he raced toward the police station. The black SUV was following him until he turned onto the lot of the Manassas PD.

The SUV raced passed him, and he finally took a breath. "Garcia, I have a plate. Charlie-Alpha-Romeo-Six-Three-Four. It was a government plate, but not ours. Get me something," he ordered before he hung up the phone.

He was surprised when Officer Hammell came out of the station and walked up to his vehicle. Aaron turned off the flashing red light and tossed it in the floorboard before he rolled down the window. "Ah, Agent Hotchner. I guess I'm not _too_ surprised to find you speeding into our parking lot. What's up?" the man asked. Hotch knew him very well, and he'd consulted with the Manassas PD on a series of break-ins a couple of years prior. Officer Hammell had been his contact, and they'd run into each other several times at Jack's soccer games. Hammell's son played on another team in the Intermediate Division.

"We were tailed from the Safeway off Pine Street near my home. I took the highway here because I wasn't sure who was following us. I sped up after I put up the light to see if they'd follow, and they did until we pulled in here. I have my people running the plates. I'll let you know, Officer," he responded. Daniel Hammell nodded and walked back into the station.

When Aaron pulled into his parking lot, he saw Spencer's car parked at the curb. Jack was back in his booster, and the kid wasn't even scared, which surprised and worried Aaron at the same time.

"Mr. Spencer's here, apparently," Aaron told the boy. They both hurried out of the vehicle and each grabbed a bag of groceries. Jack ran ahead and took the stairs, which surprised Aaron. The boy loved to ride the elevator.

Once he reached the door, Aaron saw Jack banging on the door as he danced around, holding his crotch. When the door opened, Jack ran through it without a hello. When Aaron entered, he saw Spencer sitting on the couch while Jess was standing at the door.

"You have company, and my laundry is just finishing up. Call me if you need me to pick up Jacks. Good luck," she teased as she went to the laundry room to grab her things and head for home.

He went to the living room to see Spencer. "You're done?" he asked.

He saw Spencer take a deep breath. "I'm afraid I have some bad news. I've been informed I'm going to be loaned to MI6 in London and need to leave immediately. I don't know when I'll be returning. What's wrong? You seem a little upset."

Aaron chuckled darkly. "A little? You have no idea, Spencer." Just then, a text came through from Garcia.

 _The plate is registered to Irish Eyes Importers. It's CEO is Ian Doyle. He's in the States on a recreational Visa from Dublin. I have nothing on him as far as any investigations being performed by the FBI. Any thoughts? Let me know. PG_

"Do you know anyone named Ian Doyle, or do you have an affiliation with Irish Eyes Importers? The car that chased us was registered to the business. Anything?" Aaron asked.

He saw Spencer's body stiffen. "How do you know that?" Spencer asked as he rose from the couch where he'd apparently been enjoying coffee. Aaron looked around to see Jack was still out of the room, so he continued.

"My tech people are just as good as yours, SIO Reid. We've never heard of the man, so is he one of yours?"

He saw Spencer stand and take a deep breath. "I want you to know I love you, Aaron. I could have made a good life here with you and Jack. Unfortunately, the people for whom I work don't seem to want that to happen.

"I'll take care of Ian Doyle, don't you worry. You and Jack lay low this weekend, and maybe keep Jess here for a few days. I'll make sure you're all safe, and if the day ever comes when I can be free of all of this shit, I'll try to find you.

"Don't stop living your life…fuck, I sound like a total douche. I'm sorry this happened. I'll take care of it. I do love you, Aaron," Reid whispered as he leaned forward and gently kissed the Agent. Once…twice…three times before he pulled away and hurried out of the place just as Jack hurried into the room.

"Where's Mr. Spencer?" Jack asked with a smile.

Aaron couldn't hold the tears, so he turned to Jessica and saw her tender smile. "Jacks, Mr. Spencer had to go to work. Let's go get your laundry together. I'll make us a meatloaf for dinner, and we can watch a movie. It'll be alright," Jess announced.

…

 _One Year Later…_

Hotch walked up to his new Lincoln MKS on the parking lot at the FBI airport. He quickly scrambled into the car because it was December and it was freezing-ass cold in DC.

He was in a hurry to get to Jack's Christmas pageant, so he sped off after he was sure his team got to their vehicles. He was excited about the play because it was the first thing Jack was excited about since Mr. Reid had left the school the previous year without explanation. Aaron's heart was broken as well, but for the sake of Jack, he put the feelings away with all of his other heartbreak, and powered forward for the sake of his son.

He pulled into the parking lot at Proctor Academy and hurried into the gymnasium. He grabbed a seat on the aisle toward the front, and he readied his phone to take video so he could show it to the group when they had Christmas dinner together at Rossi's house.

As the children began re-enacting a shortened version of 'A Christmas Carol', Hotch smiled when he saw Jack limp onto the stage wrapped in chains in his portrayal of Ebenezer's partner, Jacob Marley. Hotch mouthed the dialogue Jack had worked so hard to memorize, and when the scene was finished, he wanted to jump up and cheer. He was proud of his son.

After the ghost of Christmas-present took Scrooge on his leg of the journey, there was a short intermission. Aaron wandered out to the lobby of Proctor Academy and took a glass of punch and a couple of cookies. He walked over to the windows and stared outside, watching the snow begin to fall.

"It's a lovely sight, isn't it? It's also ironic to see a beautiful snowfall at the same time we're watching a ghost story. I take it you have a child in the production?" Aaron heard from behind him.

He turned to see a tall man with salt and pepper hair. He had bright green eyes partially hidden behind gold, wire frames, and a goatee. He was walking with a cane, and he had a warm smile on his face. Aaron couldn't help but return the smile.

"As a matter of fact, my son was Jacob Marley. He's been working so hard on his part. I don't know who did the make-up, but he's only seven, I swear," Aaron laughed.

The older man laughed as well. "He did a great job. Probably old before his time?"

Aaron nodded. "Yes, my Jack has had to grow up much too soon. How about you? A child or maybe a nephew?" He was trying not to age the man by labeling him a grandparent. It was strange, though, because Aaron was strangely attracted to him. The guy was older, but he was hot, that was for certain.

"I guess the cane gave me away. I was in an accident several months ago. It's temporary, actually. I have someone in the production I think of as a son. He's a rising star. So, his mother isn't here?" the man asked.

Aaron took a deep breath. He'd given the explanation more times than he'd wanted, but he could tell the older man wasn't being malicious. It was a kind inquiry. "His mother has passed, but he remembers and misses her, just like he does another member of our family who has been away. We both miss him very much."

Aaron smiled a bit as he thought about Spencer. He'd missed him more than anything, and all the numbers he'd been given to get in touch with SIO Reid had turned up as no longer in service. The man was gone…a ghost once more.

There was a chime sounding from the direction of the stage, so the two men turned to walk into the theatre. "Merry Christmas, Agent Hotchner," the older man stated as he walked away.

Aaron went back to his seat and watched the remainder of the play, standing at the end with the rest of the parents to clap like mad at the job the kids had done. They were great.

When Aaron and Jack walked out of the building, they were surprised to see a man with a sign, _Hotchner Men,_ waiting at the curb next to a limo. Aaron walked up to the young man with black glasses. "I'm sorry…why are you here?" he asked as he held onto Jack. Just then the back door opened and Garcia stepped out, looking lovely.

"Stop asking questions and get inside. We have a party to get to," she taunted as she grabbed Jack's hand and hauled him with her, leaving Aaron no choice.

When he climbed into the limo, he saw sparkling apple juice and champagne glasses. "Mr. Hotchner, it's customary to toast to a great performance, and you gave a great performance," Penelope stated as she poured three glasses of apple juice, handing one to Jack with a bright smile.

"Thanks, Aunt Pen. I didn't know you came. Did anybody else?" he asked.

"We were all in the back, Jr. G-Man. Everybody else is already at Rossi's. We're having a party for you," she announced, surprising Aaron.

He cleared his throat. "We appreciate it, Garcia, but it wasn't necessary," Hotch stated.

She giggled. "Honestly, it wasn't our idea. It was ordered by someone else, and we were sent blind invitations. I'm just performing following the duties I was sent anonymously along with this spiffy new dress," she explained as she pointed to the red and silver shimmering dress she was wearing which looked particularly lovely on her.

Aaron looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "What do you mean you don't know where the invitations came from and you're acting on behalf of someone you don't know? There wasn't a return address?"

She giggled again, which was pissing him off. "Actually they were sent from Jessica's e-mail account through a proxy server. I traced them out but ran into a roadblock I decided not to push until fater the holidays. Anyway, it's a nice party and it's catered. All Rossi had to do was open the door and let people in. JJ came over earlier this afternoon and supervised everything because Rossi had things to do, but everybody wanted to be here for Jack. Come on, Hotch. Where's your sense of Christmas magic?"

The three of them got out of the car, and Aaron reached down to feel for the ever-present ankle holster. The Glock was there, so he walked into Rossi's ahead of his son.

He saw twinkle lights and a brightly colored Christmas tree in the corner. He heard laughter outside, so he turned toward the French doors when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was the man he'd encountered outside the school at intermission.

"Oh, hey. You know Dave?" Hotch asked.

He saw the smile on the man's face as the guy blew a bubble…a big bubble from the gum in his mouth. When it popped and went all over his face, the man began clawing at it. "Shit," Aaron heard.

He stood there, mesmerized, as the man stood taller and discarded the cane. He pulled off a wig and the glasses and began to remove a covering from his face. When Hotch saw it was SIO Spencer Reid, he held his breath. "What are you doing here?"

"My love, I came back for the two of you. I told you if I ever got free from my obligations with the CIA I'd be back. I could never leave you two behind. I love both of you far too much."

Aaron was stunned for a moment, but with the spreading of the smile on Spencer's face, Aaron felt his heart thaw and begin to beat again. It had found its way back to him with help from the mysterious Dr. Reid.

…

 _E/N: Hope it didn't disappoint. It was never meant to be a long story, so I hope I've given this little ficlet a life of its own. I loved writing it, and thank you for reading. There will be a short epi on Wednesday. Thank you all for your support._


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Thank you all for reading. This story has had over 1700 hits, and I'm happy for every one of them. To those precious people who left me comments, thank you so much! Here's the Epilogue. I don't own CM. I also don't infringe._

…

 **Chapter 10.**

"Give me a break, Emily," Spencer complained as he looked out the window of the Hotchners' beach house. The three of them had agreed on a small cottage to spend the summer months together, and he did all the organizing to put the plans in place. Spencer told them it was a rental, but he'd bought it after the first summer they'd visited when Jack was between third and fourth grades.

The time he'd spent undercover to hunt down and neutralize Ian Doyle had nearly killed Reid, and had nearly killed Emily, literally. Doyle was a threat to Emily from cover she'd used when she was working with several international law enforcement agencies to catch members of IRA gunrunners. Several gruesome deaths and the safe return of a kidnapped child closed the case, eliminating the threat. Spencer didn't want to _just_ show up in Aaron and Jack's life, so he observed them for two months and showed up when he was sure it was safe. He loved them too much to put them in danger, and the three of them had been a family for two years.

Reid was working at another private school under the name of Reid Hotchner. He'd resigned from the CIA, but he'd consult from time-to-time as needed. Emily Prentiss, who was now the SIO of Cryptology Group, was trying to talk him into traveling to Germany to assist with translating chatter between terrorist training groups in Turkey and Syria as it was intercepted. He'd determined he wasn't going. Aaron was on vacation with them after having been away on a case in Oklahoma for three weeks, and Reid wasn't about to interrupt their family vacation with business. It wasn't his first priority any longer. Aaron and Jack had taken that spot quite easily.

"Emily, I'm here for summer vacation with my family. There's no way in hell I'm going to Germany, Turkey, or Syria. I know it's a disaster, both humanitarian and national security, but it's not _my_ disaster. I'll work it from here as I can, but I'm not leaving my family. You need to contact someone else," Reid snapped at her.

"Spencer, I swear, if there was anyone else with your skill set, I'd be all over them, but there isn't. You're the one of the most proficient code breakers in the world, and I need you to help us. This is scary serious," Emily implored.

"Emily, sweetheart, I need you to back off my jock. I have a husband and a son, and you calling me put me on the radar if anyone's tracking you. It put's my family in a bad position because they're with me. Now, I have to get another phone because you've compromised me, yet again.

"I had to leave them for a year because of your old shit and that fucking Ian Doyle. I nearly lost my family because of it, not to mention you. I work from home underground, or I contact Harrison Marsh and tell him you're harassing me and threatening my cover. Your choice," Reid stated.

"If you were within reach, I'd smack you in the head, but I'll work through our back channels. Can I get Penelope Garcia to give you intel underground? She's been reliable in the past, and I'm sure Hotchner has a secure laptop so he can communicate with his team," Emily stated.

Spencer laughed. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure Mateo Cruz isn't thrilled with us using one of his agents to communicate, but he's been kind enough to work with us in the past, so I'll talk to Aaron and ask if he can secure another cooperative situation. I'll call you later. I need to get dinner out of the oven," he informed her.

He walked out of the house and looked out on the beach to see his husband…legally…and his son…soon-to-be-legally…kicking a soccer ball. He smiled brightly at the sight. It warmed his heart because they were both suntanned and smiling, neither with a care in the world, just as he'd always envisioned they should be. "Guys! Dinner!" They ran toward him, and he couldn't hold the smile.

The wedding Aaron, Jack and he, along with a few close friends, had at the courthouse in Loudon County was low key, but the love they had between them? It was huge.

The family they'd made together? It was totally brilliant.

Their jobs? They figured it out every time there was a new change or shift.

There was no mystery to their feelings. They were a family who loved without hesitation. The family was first, with everything else coming second as needed. That was the bottom line. That was how they faced their future, and they were all looking forward to it.

{FIN}

…

 _E/N: Sorry it was so short, but it felt good to leave it there. I never know when inspiration may strike, and this one is one I could revisit. Thanks again for reading. On a side note, I'm so happy they didn't screw up MGG's hair on the season premiere. He looked like our little hottie! Xoxo, ML_


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